


Distorted

by katydid3145



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-04 23:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 60,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4157706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katydid3145/pseuds/katydid3145
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How quickly fate can turn against us. How quickly she can make us into the monsters we always feared we were.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distorted

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, a few things. First, for this story, I am assuming that Victor and Ruby are in a relationship, but it is still relatively new. They are not the focus, this is not a romance. Mainly because I am terrible at writing romantic stories. This is mainly a Victor story with everyone else thrown in. Second, I want to apologize to anyone who speaks German, I do not and I used Google Translate for a certain word combo. Lastly, I am 8000% sure is not the direction the show will take the Frozen storyline. Enjoy.

Chapter 1

"I don't suppose that whatever is causing this wretched weather will stop before I have to venture back into it?" The pirate shook his head and shoulders, trying to remove the layer of snow that had accumulated there.

"I don't think the sun is going to come out and the snow melt in the next ten minutes." Granny gave the pirate a predatory smile. Victor was just glad that look wasn't directed at him.

Killian froze.

"Ten minutes?"

"Emma called the diner said when you got here to tell you she would need your help at the station around 9. Which, according to that big clock there…"

"Bloody hell. Why didn't she…"

"She also said that if you would just use the cell phone she got for you, there would be no need for her to leave messages at every residence in town, and you wouldn't be so late to everything."

Victor heard Killian mumble something about magical devices and frustrating blondes. The pirate noticed Victor's smirk.

"Something amusing Doctor?"

"No. Not at all. Just enjoying my coffee."

Which was a lie. The coffee was especially terrible today. He was beginning to think that Granny brewed this particular noxious blend for him only. No one else ever seemed to mind it. Of course, neither had Victor until the curse had broken. Then he remembered what coffee from Agrabah had tasted like, and everything else just seemed so inadequate compared to that. He wasn't about to let Granny know that of course.

Killian let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Perhaps then milady, you could see fit to gather me some provisions for the road."

"One breakfast special to go, coming up."

"So no news on the weather then? Are we certain it's magical in nature?" Archie was sitting on the other side of Victor, his morning paper discarded at Killian's arrival.

Victor hadn't noticed the weather at first, like everyone else he had assumed it was just the dying blasts of winter. But now they were firmly into spring and there was little sign of the temperatures changing.

"Regina and the Crocodile seem to believe so. Said there is something 'unnatural' about the way the clouds are moving."

Victor had never paid any attention to meteorology. The skies were too unpredictable, to changeable for his tastes. He preferred the more physical sciences. His only interest in the clouds, had been in the lightning they produced.

"Of course it's magical in nature, it has been almost two weeks since anything came through and tried to kill us. I'd be more surprised if it was just a regular storm."

The pirate gave Victor a smirk.

"Too right mate. Our fair hamlet does attract a certain undesirable element from time to time."

"I'll say." Archie muttered it under his breath. Victor and Killian both turned and raised an eyebrow at the therapist.

"I…I meant Cora and Zelena….Not you Doctor..."

"Oi, but not me? That hurts my feelings cricket." Victor smirked

"Didn't you lock him in the brig of your ship and threaten to torture him?"

Killian almost seemed embarrassed. He opened his mouth to respond but Archie beat him to it.

"Of course I didn't mean the Captain any more. He has proven himself many times since then."

Now Killian was embarrassed. Victor's smirk turned into a full smile.

"Yes, our good Captain is quite the hero isn't he? Doing all the things heroes do."

"Doctor…"

"I'm just saying, you should be commended for all your hard work."

"Why do I get the feeling there is an insult somewhere in your words mate?"

"I would never dream of it. Archie, you've been around the Charming family for longer than me, tell me how does one act in the presence of such a fine upstanding citizen."

"I suppose it would be customary to bow when he arrives."

Victor barked out a laugh. It always amused him when the straight-laced therapist went along with Victor's sarcastic nature.

"But is that enough? I mean, he could be king someday and…"

"Alright, that's enough. I mean it lads."

Killian cast a nervous glance around the diner. Why Killian and Emma thought they could keep their relationship a secret in such a small town was beyond him. Not that Victor knew anything about trying to keep a relationship a secret.

"Of course, of course. Forgive me. I get so flustered around all you hero types."

"Fairly certain you belong in that category too mate."

"The captain is right Doctor. You're one of us."

Victor smirked.

"I've never been so insulted in my life."

The strange camaraderie between the three men was broken by Leroy slamming open the door to the diner.

"They found it! They found the monster that is causing all the snow!"

Killian and Archie rushed over to Leroy. Victor sat and continued to drink his coffee, he had no doubt he would be able to hear the dwarf just fine from here.

"What do you mean, who found it?"

"The Sheriff of Nottingham, he and a couple others were searching through the woods, looking for evidence of magic and BAM there it was. They said it just appeared out of the snow. I saw them bringing it up the lane, tied up in ropes. It's horrific looking."

"Do we know what sort of creature it is?"

"I've never seen anything like it. Must be eight feet tall if it isn't hunching over. It's arms are all shriveled, its skin is brown and slimy. It's face though. I swear I might have nightmares of this thing for the rest of my life. It has these black eyes, soulless, you can just tell. And its mouth, there were teeth layered upon teeth. The teeth encircle the entire mouth, with these sort of sharp tusks jutting up from its chin…"

"You alright Victor?"

Ruby's gentle inquisition pulled Victor away from Leroy's description. He looked up into the brunette's worried eyes. Why was she worried? Victor followed her gaze to his hand. He had crushed the paper coffee cup, the hot liquid had turned his skin slightly pink. He hadn't felt it.

"I know Granny's coffee is bad but you could have just asked for something else." She was trying to make light of it. But there was an undercurrent of nervousness in her voice. She wasn't sure how he would react to her joke. Wasn't sure what had caused him to grip the scalding cup with such force.

He stood abruptly and walked briskly towards Leroy.

"Where is the creature now?"

"Huh? Oh don't worry Doc, nobody got hurt catching it. They've got it all tied up and…"

"Where. Is. It?"

If Victor had been paying attention he might have seen the way everyone shrunk backwards at his tone. The way Leroy's eyes widened, the small step he took back.

"They…umm, they were just bringing it up the main road."

Victor headed out the door without another word. He couldn't speak, couldn't think straight. There was an anger in him he hadn't felt in years. A rage he thought he had left behind.

A rage he could barely control.

The snow had subsided, the sun was making itself known for the first time in almost a week. There was barely any on the ground, but he could see their foot prints clearly. The movement of a group…and the thing they were dragging between them.

He felt his feet move, he was aware that he was moving towards them, towards a course of action that would only end badly for him. But he couldn't stop it. He wouldn't have stopped it, even if he had been thinking clearly.

All he could see was their triumphant faces, all he could hear was their cheers as they poked and prodded and kicked and pushed the creature to the ground. Its withered arms tied tightly. Too tightly. They would pay for every pain they had inflicted. Emma was standing in front of the group that had emerged from the woods. He thought he recognized the man she was talking too, but he couldn't be sure.

"…bring it into town?"

"We wanted everyone to know that we had caught the beast!" The man's name was Richard…or Rick…it was something with an R. Ruby had once said that he had been the Sheriff of Nottingham back in the Enchanted Forest. The group of men around him, the ones circling the creature on the ground, he didn't know any of their names. But he would never forget a single one of their faces.

The idiot was still smiling. Still laughing at his great victory. Victor saw more people start to circle around. Wanting to see the monster that had been causing this new disruption for themselves. David joined Emma and tried to keep everyone back. Victor could feel the change in the crowd. They were on the verge of being more than just a group of curious onlookers. Victor didn't know if anyone had followed him out of the diner. Didn't know if he was on his own. He was only a few steps away now. He could only hope that no one shot him before he could free the defenseless creature.

Emma's back was turned to him, trying to quell the surging crowd. Trying to stop the fear that was spreading through them. There was no time for this. No time to be the kind and caring leaders. In one quick motion, Victor pulled Emma's gun out of her holster and fired a shot into the air.

The look of shock on the faces of the crowd, the curses that Emma was currently sprouting off, it might have distracted him on any other day.

"Whale, what the hell…"

Victor didn't turn. He didn't look at any of them. Not at Emma, or David, or the near mob at his back. He calmly lowered the weapon until it was aimed solely at the Sheriff of Nottingham's head. The look of shock on the man's face only intensified at the sight of a gun now pointed at him with steady hands.

"I am going to give you thirty seconds to untie the ropes and let that creature go. After those thirty seconds are up, I am going to put a bullet through your head." Victor's hand never wavered, but he shifted his eyes to the Sheriff's posse. Several of them carried weapons. He would most likely be able to take out four of the seven men before he too was gunned down.

"Ok…Whale…listen to me. Put the weapon down."

Emma was attempting to move between him and the group.

"Emma if you take another step, I will shoot you in the leg." He said it simply, quietly. But with conviction. She must have heard it in his voice because she stopped abruptly.

"Your time is almost up Sheriff."

Rick seemed to finally recover from his stupor. The man had the audacity to smirk.

"You aren't going to shoot me, Doctor." The man put such an emphasis on the word doctor. As though a doctor was all Victor was. As though he wasn't also a monster. After the events with Daniel, Victor had assumed everyone in town knew who he really was. Especially after Leroy found out. Perhaps he had been wrong in this assumption, perhaps the dwarf had managed to keep that particular knowledge to himself for once.

"You can't hurt me. That would violate your oath…"

"Ok, that's enough of this. Rick, you and your boys give that…thing over to us and we will lock it up." David moved towards the creature. It began to hiss loudly causing David to pull his gun. Dammit. Victor didn't want to have to shoot all of his potential allies in the leg.

"No way. Me and my men captured it. We get to kill it. Maybe I will mount its head on my wall. It would…"

The ringing in Victor's ears was back. This…this man was going to kill it. Going to…

Victor managed to push it down, push down every urge that told him to just kill every single person in sight. That they would all deserve it.

"I am a doctor."

"Yea. We all know that." Rick was still looking smug. Probably too comfortable in the fact that it had been more than thirty seconds and he was still breathing. Emma and David shared a glance. They seemed weary of whatever it was Victor was about to say.

"Look Whale…"

"I mean to say, I actually attended medical school. I didn't receive my knowledge and understanding of human anatomy from the curse. Tell me…Sheriff, how many medical colleges are there in the Enchanted Forest?"

Rick seemed to think on it for a minute. Victor didn't have the patience for the man's simple mind to make the connection.

"None, correct? So what would that tell you about me? Nothing? Perhaps that I am not from the Enchanted Forest. That my land is quite a bit different from this one and from yours. You see, in my realm, the punishment for a man who attacks an Hoffenträumen, is quite severe." Victor felt someone come and stand by his shoulder. He was slightly surprised to see it was Killian. The man had pulled his sword, but wasn't pointing it at Victor. He was pointing it at a member of the Sheriff's posse, a man who had begun to raise his own gun.

"Ah ah ah there mate. I believe the good Doctor here is in the middle of something."

"Killian. You aren't helping." Emma was glaring at the pirate.

"Ah love that's where you're wrong. That miscreant was going to attempt to shoot the Doctor. I'm merely evening the odds so that none of these other fools believe they can do the same. I'm preventing bloodshed darling." The Captain was smiling, but there was something feral in his eyes. A glint when he directed the word bloodshed at the group. It sounded more like a promise than an appeasement.

"Who cares what realm you are from? If this was the Enchanted Forest, I would be well within my rights to kill any creature that threatened the safety of my people." Victor saw several people nodding their heads at the Sheriff's words.

"And if we were in my realm, it would be within my rights punish you as the law clearly states."

"And what's the punishment for killing a slug like this huh?" The Sheriff laughed. Victor would cut out his tongue first.

"First you would be blinded with hot pokers, your eyes thrown to pigs. Then your tongue is cut out. The tongue always goes to the rats. Next, your hands and feet are removed. You don't want to know how. Lets just say that the animal that gets to eat them, does so while they are still attached. All the while, you are carefully monitored. You see, you are not meant to die by this, no. No that would be too easy. You are then allowed to heal in a hospital. Once it is determined that you will survive your injuries, your mouth is wired shut, except for a small hole left open. You are then branded with the mark of the cursed, and thrown to the street. You have to live the rest of your life with the rats in the sewers, hoping that someone will take pity on you and give you enough water or food for you to survive. And make no mistake Sheriff, my people are not the forgiving type."

Victor wondered if the pirate was regretting siding with him. Victor saw the indecision in the Sheriff's eyes. The outright horror in the men with him.

"What kind of Doctor are you?"

"Dr. Victor Frankenstein."

Whatever resolve the men with the Sheriff had, was gone the instant Victor said his name. Rick was taking a few steps back. Although now his grip on his gun was tighter.

Victor's hand was still steady. Still unmoving. He couldn't have cared if the entire town was against him, he had to do this. Hell, the entire town was probably against him by now.

The Sheriff's panicked expression darted toward David and Emma.

"Did you hear what he said? Who he is? Hell, he's probably behind all of this."

"Whale isn't…"

"Oh my god, you knew! You knew who he was and you just let this…this monster walk around town. Let him treat us, our families. He could have been experimenting on us…"

"Enough!" Emma silenced the idiot and the panicking crowd behind them. "Yes, we knew who Whale really was. The same way we know who everyone else here is, and we don't judge them for stories that we may have heard. I want every single person here to disperse now!"

The crowd hesitated.

Emma looked ready to attack them. Sparks flew from her fingers.

"Disperse or I will make you."

Whatever fear they had of him was apparently dwarfed by their fear of the blond Savior. The crowd hurried away. Most of the men with the Sheriff going as well. Victor wondered if he should be afraid of the fact that he had stolen Emma's gun. She most likely wouldn't take kindly to him threatening to kill people with it.

"Alright Whale. Put the gun down."

Victor turned to look at Emma. He lowered the gun a few inches. A foolish mistake, one that only cemented in his mind just how long he had been away from his own realm. Never take your eyes off of your enemy. Not until they are dead and their body burned.

He saw, in the corner of his eye, the Sheriff raise his own gun. The fool was going to shoot him. Victor expected a bullet to slam into his chest. Not the blond woman who had just yelled at him.

Emma pushed him to the ground. They hit the pavement, but still there was no sound of a gun blast. Victor turned his head and finally saw why.

Ruby.

She had tackled the former Sheriff of Nottingham to the ground. He wasn't sure what it was she was saying to the man, but the terror in his eyes was much greater now than it was when Victor had threatened him. He was really going to have to rethink exactly how scary people found the name Frankenstein. It was probably forever marred by Abbott and Costello or Mel Brooks movies.

Killian helped Emma to her feet and then pulled Victor up as well.

"Umm Ruby. I think he's got it." David was trying to keep the werewolf from ripping the man's throat out. Victor saw a glimpse of the gun that had been pointed at him, now crushed and mangled. Ruby stood quickly, her eyes never leaving Rick as he jumped to his feet. The man opened his mouth. David stopped whatever the idiot was going to say with a hand.

"Don't. Just go. Now."

The man all but ran.

With the threat now gone, Victor moved quickly to the creature's side.

"Whale are you sure…"

Victor ignored whatever warning they were going to give and made quick work of the ropes binding the Hoffenträumen. The hissing noise grew louder.

"Mate I don't think it…"

"It can't breathe. That's what that noise is."

Victor thought quickly. Hoffenträumen only lived in cold climates, it couldn't breathe properly here. Even though it was unnaturally cold for this time of year, it still wasn't cold enough.

Victor put a hand to the side of the creature's face. He looked directly in it's eyes. The Hoffenträumen didn't speak any language that had ever been discovered by man. He tried to will the creature into understanding that he wasn't going to hurt him.

That he was going to…

Oh. Granny was never going to forgive him.

"He needs cold. He can't breathe properly in warm temperatures." Victor began to help the creature to its feet.

Ruby seemed to catch on to what Victor was saying very quickly.

"I'll clear everyone out of the diner and try to make some space in the freezer."

She rushed away as Victor kept his hands on the creature, keeping it from falling over. Emma took a few steps forward.

"So…it won't hurt us?"

"No." His voice was clipped. He tried to keep his anger down. They didn't know. It was the mantra in his head. They didn't know. They didn't know.

The diner was empty by they time Victor got inside. Just Granny and Ruby. If Granny was phased by the Hoffenträumen's appearance, she gave no indication.

"Got the freezer down as cold as she'll go."

Victor nodded his thanks. He was aware of the others holding back, staying in the dining area while Victor guided the creature to the freezer. It hesitated at the door, unsure of what Victor was doing. He tried to relay confidence in his gaze. The Hoffenträumen was just like any other patient, he had to be calm, he couldn't show any doubts.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe in here."

Victor hoped his tone conveyed the message. Thankfully the creature moved inside after a few more seconds of indecision. Immediately he could see the change. It's breathing calmed, it began to stretch its fingers, and it stood to its full height. Victor gave it an encouraging smile.

Once he was certain it would remain, he closed the freezer door. He rested his head against the cool metal. He had no idea how he was going to explain this to the others. How he was going to be able to convince them that despite it's appearance, the Hoffenträumen was not a monster.

Best to face the firing squad early. His father had always said that. He didn't know why. There were so many things his father had said he never understood.

He walked back into the main room. Emma, David, Killian, and Archie were huddled toward the front, discussing something in hushed tones. Ruby and Granny were behind the counter again, making coffee for everyone.

And of course Gold had somehow found his way into the diner. That man always insisted on being around when something terrible happened. Usually it was because he was the cause of it.

"Well well well Doctor. Quite the show you put on out there." Gold pointed his cane at Victor. "Can't pretend I'm not a little impressed at your creativity. Especially for a man who is supposed to be a healer. Spend a little time as a torturer too did you?"

Victor's eyes narrowed. Emma and Killian moved forward. But Gold just kept talking.

"So you were going to chop his hands and feet off and then what was it you said? Blind him with hot pokers?"

"That's enough Gold."

"I'm just trying to determine the good Doctor's intentions, that's all. Can't have more monsters running around our fair hamlet now can we?"

Gold's emphasis on the term monster seemed superfluous at best. Everyone knew they weren't talking about the creature in the freezer any more.

"He was just trying to scare them off." Ruby. So supportive. He really didn't deserve someone who would rip out a man's throat with her teeth just for pointing a gun at him. She would have had to kill quite a number of people back in his realm.

"Oh I think the Doctor was quite serious. Tell me Victor, would the Sheriff of Nottingham being locked up in jail been enough of a punishment? You seemed quite attached to that creature out there. One of yours?"

He could feel it in their looks. The silence that followed Gold's words. They were wondering the same thing.

"No." He almost hissed the word through his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to get away from all these people, get away so he could have some time to calm down. To remind himself that he wasn't in his world. That these people could never understand his anger. Could never understand how the punishment he had described could be so…justified.

Emma stepped between the two factions in the diner.

"Ok, why don't we all just calm down. Gold get out, we don't need you…"

"Actually you do, because if, as he so claims, that monster is not responsible for the recent cold spell. Then we still have something out there. But if the Doctor is lying, if he is hiding this thing for some ulterior motive…well you might need me to help take them both out."

Ruby growled. The Captain's hand gripped tighter on his sword. Those were expected. Ruby and Killian knew what it was to be ostracized. To not belong amongst the heroes. But when Archie stepped in front of Victor, when Granny aimed her crossbow at Gold, when David pulled his gun, Victor felt something akin to surprise. He tried to latch on to that emotion, tried to hold it in his head. He needed something other than anger. Any emotion would do.

"That's not happening. If Whale says…"

"Frankenstein. You all still call him Whale. Sure we all fluctuate between our names every now and then, but him…him you all call Whale. I've never once heard any of you call him by his real name. Why is that do you think? Perhaps then if you did, if you said the name Frankenstein, you'd all have to acknowledge that you are putting your lives in the hands of a madman."

Gold paused, letting his words linger in the air. Victor almost rolled his eyes. The man had a flair for the dramatic. Whatever effect Gold was hoping for however, was lost when Emma snorted.

"We put our lives in your hands all the time, why would we have any problem with him. We don't say it for the same reason we don't say Rumpelstiltskin every time. Your names are too damn long. Now go back to your shop and finish working on a way to figure out what is really happening."

Gold stared at Emma, then finally seemed to notice all the weapons aimed at him. He smiled sweetly.

"Of course. Your highness."

Gold gave a short mock bow and then exited the diner. Granny walked around the counter and locked the door behind him. She flipped the sign from OPEN to CLOSED.

"I'll go around the back and lock the back doors. Don't want any of those idiots getting any ideas. Do I need to lock the door to the freezer or will it stay in there."

Victor finally had a handle on the pounding in his ears, the rage that had encompassed him in the street was beginning to settle. Still he would have to be careful not to let it out again. He needed them to leave the Hoffenträumen alone.

"It needs cold temperatures to be able to breathe properly. It won't leave the confines of the freezer."

"Alright."

Granny gave him a pat on the shoulder as he walked by. He couldn't understand where this sudden affection was coming from. Just this morning the woman had been glaring at him as he drank his coffee.

"Well now that the crocodile has left the room, I say we resume with our plans to search the woods for whatever has …"

"Wait just a second Hook, we still need to know about that thing in the freezer."

"Oh come on Dave. The Doctor says it isn't the monster we are looking for, and I for one, believe him. We shouldn't be wasting our time with this."

"Look we just need to be certain…"

"Why? Why are you giving any credence to Rumpelstiltskin's accusations? Because the man's got a funny last name? No offense, mate."

Victor gave a half smile. It was one of the main reasons Victor enjoyed the pirate's company. The man had no idea who Victor really was, had no preconceived notions of what his name meant. Hook just saw him as the Doctor who had tended his wounds after the car crash. A man to share a drink with.

Emma stepped forward and the smile on Victor's face quickly vanished. She would have to know the truth. She would need to understand. The others could write it off as a strange creature from a foreign land. But Emma would need to know more. She needed truth. He had always thought the two of them would probably get along rather well. Maybe he should tell Killian to bring her along one night when they went drinking.

"Look. Just so we are clear. You have never given us a reason to doubt you. In all the time I've been here, all you've ever done is try to save people. So if you say that…creature isn't responsible for whatever is happening, guess what, I believe you. But…but I can't pretend like I know anything about you. I don't know what parts of your story are real and what aren't. I need to know why you threaten to…do those things to the Sheriff of Nottingham. Because I'm not going to lie, the person I saw out there, the man who was so calm about cutting out a man's tongue, is not a person I have ever seen before. I need to know that you aren't going to hunt him down and…"

"As long as he doesn't touch the Hoffenträumen, he will have no problems from me."

David moved to his daughter's back.

"Emma's right. You overreacted out there and…"

Overreacted.

Suddenly the rage in his chest was spreading throughout his limbs. He tried to breathe through it. He tried to push it down.

"Overreacted."

His voice was cold. He could almost see David flinch. Ruby put a hand on his arm. But it wasn't enough this time. He took a step forward.

"You think I overreacted? Is that it? The fact that that man is still breathing is a testament to my self control."

"Easy mate…"

"Let me be very plain David. In my world there is no more base a coward than a man who attacks a Hoffenträumen. To even put your hands on one in a violent manner is a crime punishable by death. That I didn't put a bullet between the eyes of every person in that damned group is…"

"Victor…calm down.

"You can't possibly understand what those creatures mean to the people of my world. You have no idea…"

Emma put her hands up.

"Ok. Ok. So those things are sacred in your world. Ok. We get it."

They didn't. They couldn't.

Victor focused on Ruby's hand on his arm. On Killian's presence at his shoulder. On that fact that no one had pulled a weapon on him during his little tirade.

Victor closed his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers. He was supposed to stay calm. Explain to them why the Hoffenträumen couldn't have done it. Used logic and facts to rule the Hoffenträumen out. Instead he had yelled at them. He had only been moments away from threatening them. He exhaled slowly.

"I know that my…outburst makes it less likely that you will believe me. And does little to sway you from Gold's assertion that I am a mad man but I can…"

"No one thinks that." Victor had almost forgotten that Archie was still in the room. The man had a way of blending into the background, a way of being hidden until the moment he was needed. Must have been a part of the whole conscience thing. Victor's conscience usually remained hidden, if it ever showed itself at all.

"Dr. Whale, if you know it isn't responsible, then we don't have a reason to doubt you. All Emma was trying to say was that, in all the years we have know you, we have never seen you that angry. We just want to know why."

Victor's hands fell to his sides. He suddenly felt exhausted.

"You won't be able to understand." He moved his hand up to stop David from interrupting. "I'm not trying to be condescending. I'm…if you've never been to my land…it will be difficult to comprehend why we value the Hoffenträumen so highly."

"Try us." Ruby's voice was so gentle. So calm. So damned reasonable. He wished he could be angry at her for that. Victor sat down in a chair. The others did the same, spreading themselves out amongst the room. He tried to put it together in his mind. Tried to arrange his thoughts, create a measured and factual argument they could follow.

"Doctor?"

"Hmmm?"

"You going to say something mate?"

"Sorry. I…" How could he explain this to them? They hadn't lived with the darkness their whole lives. They…

"You did it again."

"Did what?"

"Didn't say anything for a few minutes. Can't imagine what's running through that melon of yours…"

"Hook!"

"What? Just trying to get this show on the road. We do still have another creature out there to find."

Right. There was still something out there, still a threat to be stopped. And he was wasting time. Just. Just tell them something. Start somewhere.

"My realm. My realm used to be like every other. Humans carving their existence out among whatever nature designed. People living in small farming communities, wooden shacks, their biggest fear being whether or not the harvest would be good this year. But that…that was over 2,000 years ago. According to the history, one day everything was normal. The sun rose, the people went about their lives, and then the sun set and they went to sleep. Except that the sun didn't rise the next day. Or the next. Or the next. There was nothing but darkness for centuries. It became known as The Long Night. No one knew what caused it. All they knew was that their crops were failing, that everything around them was dying. They prayed to their gods with little effect. Communities turned on each other, everyone blaming one another for the loss of the sun."

"The Long Night lasted 764 years. Entire generations, millions upon millions of people living their entire lives in darkness. And in that darkness, people found new ways to survive. Without their crops, animals were hunted almost to extinction. The most barbaric of those that survived did so by feeding on the flesh of the weak, on the flesh of other humans. There was little in the way of society during the Long Night. Then one day, for as little reason as there was for its disappearance, the sun rose again."

"But it was different somehow. They say that the darkness had reigned for too long. That the sun couldn't penetrate the blackness that had seeped into every living thing. That is why my land remains shrouded in darkness, even when the sun is out. It…lacks color."

"Wait, lacks color? Like…like a black and white movie?"

Victor might have attempted a smile at that, he couldn't be sure. Emma's disbelief was shared by almost everyone in the room.

"Yes. Just like that. People who travel to our realm have named it the Land Without Color. Not particularly creative, but I suppose it gets the point across."

"So Frankenstein comes from a black and white land, that's…ironic."

"Why is that ironic love?"

"I'll explain it to you later Killian. Sorry. Keep going."

Victor looked down at his hands. History was the easy part. That was just things he had read in a book. It wasn't anything he had ever felt. Anything that had ever haunted him.

"After the Long Night ended, it took centuries for humans to finally start to regroup. To realize they could grow crops again, form communities. There were factions that didn't like this. Those that reveled in the killing they had grown so accustomed to. My world was, and continues to be…divided along those lines. Those that thrive in the darkness, and those that want to forget our vicious past. But in our arrogance, we tended to forget that we were not the only things that had to evolve to survive the darkness. "

"Several species remained relatively unchanged, the horse, several breeds of dog, the bats. But there are some creatures that would be completely unrecognizable to you, creatures that were once as common as the sheep or the cow. There is a translucent creature that lives in the trees of the Black Forest. It appears to have been descended from a snake type of animal, but it is so flattened and lightweight that it almost, floats between the trees."

"The Hoffenträumen is of this same evolution. No one had been able to pin down what it could have been descended from. For all we know they may have started out as a group of humans that lived within the mountains and caves of the far North. Clearly though now, it has developed some interesting features in order to adapt."

"Interesting is not how I would describe those teeth."

"They have to be that sharp, to penetrate the rock of the mountains. You see they survive solely on a diet of lichen that grows only within the crevices of…"

"Victor…I think you're getting a little off track."

"Oh. Right." It had been so long since he had spoken about any part of his world. So long since he allowed himself to think about anything related to it. He had forgotten how carried away he could get, discussing the evolution and adaptability of the different creatures that inhabited it.

"Sorry. I…Where was I…right. When the sun and civilization returned, people began to do things they hadn't done in hundreds of years. They began to explore the land. They wanted to see all the things they hadn't been able to before. One man, Gerard Klineman, he started a journey to the mountains of the North. He was waylaid by a snowstorm and would surely have died if the Hoffenträumen hadn't shown him the way into a cave nearby. He…He said that that night when he slept in their cave, he had what he described as 'bright dreams'. Many years later, his journals were found and someone was able to determine that he had dreamt in color."

"You have to understand for almost a thousand years, no one in my realm saw color. During the 700 years of the Long Night, it was so dark that all colors were muted, almost beyond recognition, even with the aid of firelight. And the return of the sun simply swept away any memory of a time when color was commonplace. People began to flock to the mountain, everyone who came close to a Hoffenträumen was able to dream in color. Then…then any children they bore could also dream in color, without ever having to make the trip themselves. It was like…these creatures somehow awakened a memory in our DNA. We couldn't see it…but we could almost remember it in our minds. Eventually, through the generations, every person in my realm was given this gift."

"As time went on, more and more people rushed to the mountains. Then the inevitable occurred. People believed that if one night spent in their presence could return color to their dreams, then having one around permanently could perhaps return it to their lives completely. Men tried to take Hoffenträumen from their homes. Tried to keep them in cages. The problem with evolving in an isolated and unique environment is, you can't survive anywhere else. As soon as they were brought off the mountain, the Hoffenträumen died in the cages. Most never even made it to the cities."

"In the nights that followed, people would exclaim that their dreams were darker. That the colors were muted, graying. The death of a single one of them, rippled throughout our entire world. It didn't matter what region you came from, or what side of a war you were fighting on, everyone was somehow linked to the Hoffenträumen. If they were all killed, then our dreams would go back to being as colorless as our lives. So every group, every kingdom, every band of thieves and murderers all agreed on the same terms. Any one who killed a Hoffenträumen, anyone who removed that small bit of color from our lives, would be subjected to the worst tortures imaginable. Even the vampires agreed to it."

"Ok…going to breeze past the whole vampires thing for the moment, you're saying if one of those things dies then everyone in your realm is affected?"

"Yes. You feel it…in your entire chest, in every bone. There is this…ache and... You…" He didn't know how to say it. How to describe the agony of falling asleep and waking up to realize that another small part of you had been chipped away. Lost forever.

"There is a certain…hope that surrounds our ability to dream in color. In the idea that we might…someday be able to see it for more than a few imagined moments at night. And to remove that…lightness from our lives when all we have during the day is darkness, to take away those treasured moments of…it…It is unforgivable."

He hadn't taken his eyes off of his hands the entire time he had spoken. He couldn't look at their faces, couldn't watch as they failed to grasp how truly depraved such an act was. Victor rubbed his eyes. He wasn't saying this correctly. He was a genius, he should have been able find the words needed to convince them. There were no words to explain how it felt. How you would lie in bed and cry for that loss. Forcing yourself to get up and face a world you knew was darker than it had been the day before. The look in the eyes of every single person as they tried to move through the day like nothing had changed. Tried to pretend they weren't feeling that same unending ache.

To his surprise, it was David that ended the silence.

"Is that Hoffent…thing being here, is that the same as if it had been killed?"

Victor looked up.

"I…I believe so. They…they will know it is gone. They will feel its absence." He almost whispered the last line.

"Well then. We need to split up into teams then. Hook, you, me and Emma will grab Robin and some of his men and head out to look for whatever brought it here. Ruby, you and Archie go find Belle and see if you can't convince her to help you get Gold to find a way to send the Hoffentramen back as soon as possible. Victor, you and Granny stay here and guard the diner in case Rick decides to be his idiotic self and come back. Sound good to everybody?"

"You know me mate, I live to serve." Hook clapped Victor quickly on the shoulder as he stood. Then lowered quickly and whispered in Victor's ear. "Try not to piss off Granny and get yourself shot."

"We can still hear you when you whisper you know." Granny pointed to her ears. "Wolf's hearing."

Hook gave a half-hearted smile and joined David near the door. Emma looked like she wanted to stay. Wanted to ask more questions. Victor was grateful to David for breaking the moment so quickly. For getting Victor the space he needed. Even if it was with a woman he wasn't entirely sure didn't want to slap him constantly. Emma opened and closed her mouth several more times. Eventually she seemed to get whatever message her father and Killian were trying to send her.

"Ok, you guys call us if Gold says anything actually useful. So, while it is highly unlikely there are any other creatures from your realm out there, is there anything else we should be aware of? If I see something that looks like the creature from the Black Lagoon should I fight it or invite it back here for milkshakes?"

Victor did manage a small smile at that.

"When it comes to my realm there is one rule you learn very early on. It is never the ones that look like monsters that you have to fear."

"Right. Helpful and creepy."

"That is basically my entire personality."

Emma shook her head at that and then the three of them left the diner. Archie stood as well.

"I'll try to call Belle, see if she is at the library. Then we can head over to Gold's."

"Ok. I'll be right behind you."

Ruby was still sitting at his side. He wondered how long her hand had been on his arm. Strange that he hadn't noticed it when everyone was still in the room.

"You don't have to make sure I'm alright you know."

"I know."

She smiled and brushed a hair from his forehead. He tried to ignore how comforting her presence was, how used to it he had become. That was the second rule you learned. No amount of happiness could ever last.

"Thank you…for out there. For having my back against that group of idiots in the street. I know the appearance of the Hoffenträumen is…revolting to outsiders. That you automatically took my word that it was not a monster…it…I find that very…you are very…"

Her smile had morphed into a smirk.

"Very what?"

"You're just going to let me keep struggling through this aren't you?"

"You're adorable when you're flustered. Its so unlike the cocky doctor you pretend to be. Besides, you don't have to thank me for that. Of course I believed you." Her smile was replaced with a look of complete honesty.

"I trust you."

He didn't have the words earlier, and he definitely didn't have them now. Not when the way she said trust seemed to imply she meant something more than that. Something much deeper.

She just smiled at his silence and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Try not to piss off Granny while you're here."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm a perfect gentleman."

That damned smirk again. Words whispered so quietly against his ear he wasn't entirely sure he didn't image them.

"Hopefully not always a gentleman."

When she turned and faced Archie there was no sign of the mischievous look on her face, of the hint of something playful in her eyes that he had witnessed. That she had allowed him to see. Something just between the two of them. His smile was softer now. Genuine.

She gave him a small wave and then she was gone out the door. Granny walked over and locked it behind her. She was giving him a look he didn't have the energy or the social ability to decipher.

"I should check on the Hoffenträumen, make sure it is cold enough in there."

It was running, but the safest way to avoid incurring the wrath of the elder Lucas seemed to be by simply avoiding her. He was only a few steps away when her voice called out to him.

"Alright, you do that. And when you're done come back out here, I got some lasagna still warmed up."

"Of course."

It was an order, not a request. One he had no choice but to comply with.

The Hoffenträumen was huddled in the corner of the walk in freezer. It's breathing was no longer labored. The skin around its eyes and fingertips were returning to their normal darkened tint. Victor didn't know how long he stood there. Seeing something from his realm again after all this time had been a bit of a shock. His reaction even more so. He had thought he had left that part of himself behind, that part that was still tied to the darkness. He hadn't been home in years, the sight of the Hoffenträumen should not have caused such a violent reaction in him.

The creature was curling up, preparing to find a way to sleep. Victor didn't know enough about the anatomy of the creature to be able to tell if anything else was wrong with it. No one had ever been allowed to dissect one. A taboo on his world he had actually respected.

Victor closed the door, hoping that the cold of the freezer would be enough. That there wasn't some other factor he was forgetting.

Granny was standing behind the counter when Victor returned. He sat quietly at one of the stools. He wasn't avoiding eye contact per se, he just happened to find the lunch specials of a particular interest today.

"Never heard you talk about your realm before."

Granny had placed a coffee and a plate of lasagna in front of him. He doubted he would be able to eat any of it. He settled on taking a small sip of the coffee…and nearly choked.

"Is there whiskey in this?"

"Thought you could use it." Granny was staring at him, trying to read something in him. Something he was certain she would find lacking.

"Thank you."

"So, what's your realm really like?"

"It's nothing…"

"You just told us your realm has vampires, that thing that looks like a cross between a Jabba the Hut and the pit monster, and probably hundreds of other creatures I can't even imagine. Doesn't sound like your realm is normal. I don't want your family history or darkest secrets, I was just curious. You never talk about it, makes it seem like you don't really miss it."

He didn't. Not really.

Not all the time.

Almost never. If he didn't think about it.

"Have you ever…woken up in the middle of the night? And you have this thought that you've forgotten to do something. That the reason you woke up was because you forgot to lock the door or turn off the oven? So you get out of bed and there's this chill in the air, and you think about wrapping up in a blanket but you don't because you are only going to be up for a few seconds. So you walk out into the darkness and you…you think you see something out of the corner of your eye. A shadow that isn't supposed to be there. So you have this moment of panic, this moment of absolute certainty that there is someone else in your house, someone that is going to attack you and you have no way of defending yourself. You try to remain calm, you tell yourself you are being foolish, that you would have heard someone break in. So you continue moving forward, but the sensation doesn't leave, it only grows stronger. There is a constant battle in your mind between what you know to be true and what you can feel in the darkest shadows of the room. Finally you reach your destination, the door is still locked, the oven was never on. And now your fear has found a new home. What awoke you, if not these things? Finally you can take the situation no longer, you rush and turn on every light in your house. Moving quickly between the rooms, maybe even grabbing a knife off of the kitchen counter. And when you are done, when you have checked every closet and illuminated crevice of your house, you begin to laugh. Because you knew you were being foolish. You knew there was nothing there that could hurt you. So you go back to bed, content and warm in the safety and security you now have proof of."

"That is what my realm is like. Except there are no light switches. No way of illuminating the darkest corners. The shadows never recede. We never go to bed knowing we are safe. Even during the brightest days, there are always things moving just outside of our vision. Waiting for us to let our guard down. That immediate sense of certainty that you are not alone is a constant state for us."

"Sounds like you guys probably don't attract a lot of tourists."

Victor barked out a laugh at Granny's bluntness.

"No. No we don't."

"Well alright then. I'm going to clean up some of these dishes…"

"Do you want me to help you?"

Granny gave him an appraising look. There might have been a strong undercurrent of doubt in the look as well.

"You don't strike me as the type who ever had to wash many of his own dishes."

That had certainly been true growing up. He hadn't even learned half of the servant's names when he was a boy. There were always so many, and they always seemed to come and go so quickly. But he had become quite adept at taking care of himself later in life.

"I can't guarantee I won't break a few. I just…"

Didn't want to sit and do nothing. Idleness had always been his enemy. Always been his undoing.

"Alright. Might want to take off that nice jacket of yours. I ain't buying you a new one if you get grease all over it."

Victor removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He stood in front of the sink of soapy water and concentrated on the task at hand. He scrubbed a dish, washed it off, inspected it, then washed it again. He was certain he was taking twice as long to do the dishes than if Granny had just done them herself. He had always been a bit of a perfectionist as well. He doubted the dishes here had ever been so clean. He turned to make a comment to Granny about it, only to find her absent.

He wondered when that had happened. He looked to the clock on the wall. Almost an hour had passed since he started washing the dishes. He wondered if she had told him where she was going, had he ignored her? He walked away from sink. He thought about calling out for her, then reconsidered. She was most likely just in the other room. Or in the bathroom. He didn't think he could handle that embarrassment. So he went to check the freezer.

He had only made it a few steps when he heard the noise. The softest squeaking of leather on the porcelain floor. Victor hadn't survived this long without being a little paranoid. He dove quickly to one side. If it was just Granny or one of the others, they would laugh at his reaction and move on. But if it was someone else, someone trying to sneak up on Victor, it could save his life.

The dagger embedded in the wall near where he had been standing confirmed his suspicions. He jumped back up to his feet. His eyes scanned the room, but he couldn't see his attacker. There was no other noise in the diner, no sound of someone moving. Victor had no doubts that there was something there. Victor considered his options and kept his back to the wall. His eyes darting between any place someone could be hiding. His eyes flashed to the dagger, it was unlike any he had ever seen before. The handle was dark, but not black. A strange blue color that seemed to change with the angle of the light reflecting off of it.

Still he could hear nothing of his attacker. Why now? Why not attack him when he had been washing dishes? Clearly he wouldn't have noticed them then. This was the sloppiest assassination anyone had ever attempted on him. Wouldn't even rank in the top twenty.

"Whale? You finally finish those…"

Granny walked in from the back room, she took in his posture and immediately a crossbow was in her hands. He could have sworn she wasn't carrying it a second ago.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Someone threw that at me, but I haven't seen the assailant."

Victor had made a simple gesture towards the dagger in the wall. Granny looked a little put out.

"I swear I am going to have to raise my prices soon to cover all the damage that is done to this place."

They waited in tense silence a few more moments, each scanning the room for any sign of danger. Eventually, they both relaxed. Apparently whatever had tried to kill Victor had disappeared after their initial failure. Granny scanned the room, looking for any detail, any scent of who had been in the diner with them. Victor walked over to the dagger.

It wasn't just the handle that was the darkest blue, the blade was blue as well. In fact…

"You sure it's smart to touch that thing? Might be cursed for all we know."

Victor's fingers hovered just a few inches from the handle. Even there he could feel the cold radiating off of the weapon.

"It's ice."

"What?"

"The blade is made of ice."

"Ok, so first a creature that lives solely in the coldest mountains of your realm appears and now someone throws a dagger made of ice at you. What does that mean? Are they related somehow? Does it have something to do with how cold it has been the past few weeks?"

"I…I really don't know."

 

Chapter 2

Almost a week passed and there was still no change in the weather. No sign of it letting up. No sign of what was causing it. Leroy had made the suggestion that perhaps whomever was behind it, was simply going to hide until everyone froze to death. Not a terrible plan, as far as murderous plots go. The heat in the hospital seemed to decrease every day. Regina said that eventually even their magic wouldn't be able to stand up to the fierceness of this cold.

Not a particularly happy thought. The hospital was fuller than it had been in awhile. People staying outside for a few minutes too long and suddenly they were hypothermic. Seven people had slipped on the ice and broken a limb in the last two days alone. Not to mention the burns people were getting, trying to keep their fires going or their generators over heating. Victor was just glad that Emma had been able to convince Robin and his men to move into the town hall. Victor doubted the men would have survived very long out in the woods.

The Hoffenträumen was still in Granny's freezer, although if the temperatures continued to drop like they were, it would have no trouble surviving in this weather. Victor had left Granny's not long after the attempt on his life. She had looked very displeased with his decision but the hospital had called. A car accident. He couldn't let one haphazard attempt on his life stop him from doing his job. Granny must have filled the others in on what had happened because David was waiting for him when he got out of surgery.

"David? Is everything all right?"

"You tell me."

"Ah well, Ms. Collins slid her car into a fence. Got a nasty puncture to her left thigh, I was able to repair the damage. She should be fine in a few weeks, with a little physical therapy. You should warn people about driving in…"

"I knew her injury wasn't severe, one of your nurses told me. I was talking about what happened in Granny's diner. Someone tried to kill you? Or does that not sound familiar?"

"A dagger was thrown in my general direction. I don't think it was specifically meant for me."

"A dagger was thrown in the general direction of the only person in an otherwise empty room, but you don't think it was meant for you."

"Well it sounds bad when you say it like that."

"Look, it…it just seems incredibly coincidental that at the same time a creature from your realm appears…"

"Yes, yes. Granny made the same point. And I've decided they are unrelated."

"Oh, you've decided that have you?"

"Yes. Whomever it was could have killed me at any time prior to…"

"Granny said she wasn't out of the room for more than two minutes. Did you factor in that they were waiting for her to leave before they attacked? That they might have known she would be able to hear anyone sneaking up on you?"

"I…" He hadn't actually. He had assumed Granny had been out of the room longer than that.

"I suppose there are some factors I may have overlooked."

"Mhmm. Well just to be safe you aren't to go anywhere alone for a little…"

"David…."

"No. No arguments. Until we figure out what's happening, we aren't going to take any chances. I'm going to take first shift…"

"I was just about to go home and take a shower. You going to be joining me for that?"

"Yes."

Victor raised an eyebrow. David seemed to realize what he had just implied.

"Not for the shower, no. But…for the rest of it. I hope your couch is comfortable because you are going to have a few house guests for awhile."

Victor had hoped that the Prince was just being overzealous in his words. But every day someone escorted him to the hospital, and every night there was someone sleeping on his couch. What David thought he or any of them could do against an assassin who could throw daggers made of ice and disappear into thin air, Victor wasn't sure. A point he tried to make with Emma. She seemed to be the most reasonable of the group. But even she wouldn't be swayed.

"It's not just the ice dagger…thrower. It's Rick and his group of idiots. We don't want him coming after you in retaliation."

"He wouldn't…"

"The guy was going to shoot you in the chest in the middle of the street, with both of the towns Sheriffs standing there. I wouldn't underestimate his stupidity."

He tried not to think on the fact that he was going to shoot Rick in the head with both of them standing there. And what that said about his mental acuity. Emma considered it a closed argument. Nothing he could say would convince any of them to leave him in peace. Even a fine, completely reasonable, well-structured argument about the need for manpower to find the cause of the winter storms overriding his need for personal safety, went unheeded.

Eventually his highly ingrained isolationist instincts took over. He chose to make his escape under David's watch. Victor figured the worst the man would do was punch him again. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he slipped away while Granny or Emma were watching him. Or Ruby. Although she had been noticeably absent from his band of babysitters. Most likely they needed her for the current hunt. He liked to think he hadn't noticed her absence.

He told himself he hadn't anyway.

"David?"

"Yea."

"If you're going to insist on sleeping on my couch again, do you think you could at least not put your dirty shoes on it?"

"Right. Sorry." The man looked bashful at Victor's comment. The man probably was legitimately sorry that he had been so thoughtless towards Victor's couch. Sincerity wasn't something Victor had much experience with.

"I'm going to take a shower. Feel free to watch whatever you want." Victor motioned towards the TV. He couldn't remember the last time he had watched it, or even turned it on.

"Thanks Whale." David turned his focus away from Victor and towards the television. Some sort of game show Victor had never heard of.

He turned on the shower then walked back into his bedroom. He had his hand on the windowsill when the strangest thought occurred to him.

I should leave a note.

He didn't know why he thought it. The entire point was to get away from the constant interactions he was being subjected to. Now he was just going to tell David exactly where he was going? It wasn't an idea he was familiar with. Still that niggling feeling stayed with him. He rolled his eyes and walked over to his bedside table.

Went to check on the Hoffentramen. Wasn't kidnapped. I'll be back shortly. Victor Whale

It was simple and to the point. Surely David couldn't be too upset. Victor had left a note. He should be lauded for being so thoughtful.

He was almost to Granny's when his phone started ringing. He looked down and saw it was David calling. Victor hesitated. He supposed he should…

He was on the ground. And there was this odd warmth running down his face. He managed to lift his head up from the snow covered ground. There was a woman standing not too far from him. She was saying something. She looked upset.

He should try to help her. That's what doctors did. The world spun rapidly. His fingers felt numb. It wasn't that cold before was it? It was almost like the temperature had plummeted in a matter of seconds. The woman was still saying something. He really was trying to listen.

"…sorry…please…I didn't…."

"ssok. Mfine." That wasn't what he meant to say. Usually he was a bit more eloquent. He must have hit his head on the ground, that was probably…yes blood on his face. The woman was looking at him with such worry in her eyes. He tried to focus on his words this time.

"Really…I'm fine." He almost sounded convincing too. Except for the moment when he had tried to stand and his vision had faded, and he had almost collapsed to the ground. He steadied himself on a nearby car. He made to move towards the woman.

"Please…stay back. I don't want to hurt you. It was an accident."

"I'm fine really. Just a little bump. Head wounds tend to bleed profusely regardless of the severity of the injury." There. That was better. Very professional.

"You don't understand. I'm a monster."

Victor laughed. He tried not to. But it just happened.

He smiled at the blond woman in front of him.

"Well then my dear, you are in excellent company."

She was giving him the strangest look now. It was equal parts curiosity and concern. She opened her mouth to say something and then she was gone. It almost looked like a gust of wind had simply blown her away.

Victor blinked a few times. God he hoped he hadn't just imagined that. Hallucinations after a head injury were never a good sign. He looked around, there was no sign of her, not even a footprint in the snow. He should probably get out of the street and look at the wound on his head. He briefly considered going to Granny's but didn't feel like he had the energy to deal with explaining what had happened here. He turned and started to make his way towards the hospital.

He wasn't even aware he was listing until his shoulder hit the side of a building. Perhaps he should slow down. Or sit. Maybe he should sit. No.

No, sitting was bad.

For some reason. He couldn't really remember why. He shouldn't sit. He should keep moving. The sudden appearance of a wall in front of him was unexpected. Especially when it kept moving into his path.

"Dr. Whale!"

"Yes?"

Robin? Hood. That was it.

"Are you alright? Have you been attacked?"

"It was more of an accident really."

"You fell on the ice?"

"I think the ice probably aided in my descent, yes. She seemed very apologetic about it though."

"The ice?"

"The woman with the ice. Her hands were almost tinted blue. Aren't you listening?"

"I think we should get you to the hospital my friend."

Since when did he have so many friends? Victor had only had one real friend in his entire life, if he didn't count his brother, and Vladimir had tried to kill him on three separate occasions.

"I just need to lie down for a bit. I'll be fine."

"Your shirt is covered in blood and you didn't hear me when I called out to you."

"Did you need something?"

"Other than a need to not see the town doctor fall over and die, no."

That was being a bit dramatic. He was hardly concussed. A little rest and he would be fine. He wasn't suffering memory loss or…

"What the hell happened to him?"

Shit. David.

At least it was far less likely the prince would hit him in his current state.

"I was just trying to ascertain that…"

"It was nothing. I slipped on the ice."

He hoped Robin would take the hint and say nothing.

"That's it? You fell? I called you three times, then I called Granny and she said you weren't there. Then I found your cell phone next to a clump of red snow. And you're saying you just fell?"

"Yes."

"He may have mentions something about a woman with blue hands."

Traitor. He would have to remember to use the largest needles the next time Robin found his way into Victor's hospital. Victor tried to glare at the man, but the thief simply smiled.

"Blue hands?"

Victor tried to calculate what would be worse for him. Telling David he had hallucinated a woman with blue hands, thereby ensuring that he would be followed around by a steady stream of caring individuals, each trying to determine if he was still hallucinating. Or admitting that in the twenty minutes he had been outside of the watchful eye of a said caring individual, he had managed to get attacked again. And in another ice related incident. Either way, he doubted he would be getting any alone time from now on. He wondered if David would insist on sleeping at the foot of Victor's bed like a good guard dog. Victor tried to keep down the laugh that that mental image brought up, but judging by David's concerned look he wasn't entirely successful.

"She didn't attack me really. I think it was more that I was simply in the wrong place…"

"Yea ok, Robin? Go to Granny's and have her call a meeting. I'm going to take this idiot to the hospital and have him looked at…"

"By who? I'm the only real doctor." Victor muttered under his breath.

"and after he manages to string a couple coherent thoughts together, he can explain this blue handed woman to me. Then we will all meet up and go over what we know so far. Ok?"

"Of course your highness."

Robin walked away, a smug smile still on his face. Victor had no idea why the man always looked like that. Like everything was a joke in some way.

"I've got half a mind to handcuff you to the hospital bed, and before you even say something perverted, just know I am not in the mood."

Victor honestly wasn't going to say anything. His mind hadn't even supplied him with the proper response to David's threat. Maybe he was slightly concussed.

"I know how to pick handcuff locks."

"Of course you do. Come on."

Victor let David guide him towards the hospital. When they finally arrived, Victor let only the most competent nurse tend to him. The other doctors in the hospital had been farmers and miners and other lay people prior to the curse. And while there was nothing wrong with such professions, they tended to callous the hands. And people with rough calloused hands did not make good surgeons. Not that his nurse had been a surgeon; she had been a seamstress. Which was close enough.

Three stitches and an order to lie down for a bit. Which was ridiculous but Victor complied with it all the same. If only to keep David from glaring so forcefully at him. Victor lie on the hospital bed and had only closed his eyes for a moment, but suddenly David was gone and Killian was there instead.

"Bested by the street? That's a rough one mate."

Victor rubbed his eyes and sat up. Glad to find himself not chained to the bed.

"It wasn't the street. It was the ice covering it. And a strong gust of wind."

"Sure mate. And this mysterious blue handed woman no one else has seen." Killian was joking. But Victor didn't wonder if there was something else the man was hinting at. Victor felt his paranoia creep up.

"I didn't hallucinate her."

"No, I don't suppose you did. If I had to convince people I'd been attacked, and not just ridiculously clumsy, I would have gone with ice bear…."

"Ice bear."

"Yea, me and me crew were in this one realm and…."

"You saw her!"

Victor and Killian jerked their heads toward the door at the same time. Gold was moving towards them. A look of anger…and something that might have resembled fear. Emma, Snow, and Regina were not far behind.

Emma gave him an apologetic look.

"We told him about the woman David said you saw and he just…."

Killian immediately stood between Victor and the encroaching wizard. His hand resting on his sword.

"Easy there mate. The doctor was just about to…"

"She attacked you?"

"It wasn't an attack…."

"But she struck you with magic, yes?"

Most likely.

"I'm not entirely certain what happened."

"You two!" Killian and Emma were suddenly the focus of Gold's rage. "You must have done something. You must have freed her from my vault."

"Well maybe if you hadn't locked us in there we wouldn't have been poking around…" Emma didn't get a chance to finish her grievance.

"Poking around? Poking around a room full of the most dangerous magical items imaginable?"

Emma looked disgusted. Regina made her presence known.

"Only you would consider a woman a magical item. What did she do Gold? Finally find someone resistant to your…charms? So you locked her up? Figured it worked once, might as well try it again?"

"She isn't a woman. She's a creature, capable of things you can't even imagine."

Victor had heard this particular speech before.

Many times, in fact.

"She seemed genuinely sorry about hitting me."

"Oh of course she did. That's her ploy. Make you think she can't control it and then…"

Victor and the others waited for Gold to continue. His eyes were no longer focused on Victor's face. But on his chest.

"Open your shirt."

"Excuse me?" Emma and Snow had the identical look of shock. Regina looked amused.

"And here I thought it was only Snow who couldn't resist the good doctor's charms." Victor expected Snow to blush, instead she just rolled her eyes. Snow was not Mary Margaret anymore.

"Why do you want him to do that?"

"Just do it!"

"Look mate why don't you…"

Killian was thrown suddenly to the side, and before either Regina or Emma could retaliate, Gold had put up a sort of force field around the two of them. Gold stepped towards Victor.

"Alright. Easy. I'll just…open my shirt here for you. Good thing I'm not self-conscious."

Victor unbuttoned his purple shirt and looked down at his chest.

"Huh."

There was a large black bruise over his heart.

"I don't remember getting hit there. I don't even feel it…"

Victor's fingers grazed over the bruise. It was cold.

"She froze your heart."

"She what?"

"Do you want to lower this shield now Gold and start explaining what the hell is going on?" Emma looked furious, although he was certain that had to do with the currently unconscious pirate. Gold waved a hand and the blue protective shield instantly vanished. Killian began to stir on the ground. Emma kneeled by the pirate and helped him to his feet.

"Next time you could just ask me to move." Killian's voice was light, but Victor could sense he was holding back a great deal of anger.

"And if I had, would you?"

It was clear from Killian's face that the answer to that would always be no.

"Ok, so now that everyone has calmed down. What do you mean she froze his heart?"

"Her name is Elsa. She was born with the power to summon snow and ice…."

"And you didn't think to mention this when the town was suddenly in a winter wonderland in May?" Regina was watching Gold carefully. Looking for signs he was deliberately holding something back.

"I thought she was safely tucked away, somewhere she could never escape from. Clearly I didn't factor time travel into the equation."

Victor kept prodding the bruised area. He should probably be more worried that he couldn't feel the repetitive action. It was so cold. It was a familiar feeling under his fingers. It was the skin of a corpse.

"As I was saying, her powers allow her to summon great snow storms. She can create small things herself, a snowman or an ice sculpture, from the moisture in the air around her. But the larger snowstorms she has to pull the ice from somewhere else. Sometimes from the realm she is currently in, sometimes not. I believe that's how your Hoffenträumen got here Doctor. It was simply pulled along for the ride, caught in a snowstorm in your realm that she transferred to this one. She was born with these great powers, and learned to control them when she was young. She used them many times as the queen, to protect her realm from invaders. But then something happened. Her powers changed. The way she explained it to me, one day she was summoning a storm to defend her kingdom when she felt something else in the snow. Whatever realm she had pulled the ice from was littered with something. So small, almost invisible, except they weren't harmless grains of sand. They were shards of glass. Those shards became entwined with her magic somehow. They bonded themselves to her power. Every time she would try to use her magic for any reason, the shards would be pulled along as well. She could no longer use her magic as she once had for fear of hurting those she loved. So she ran away from her kingdom and tried to hide herself amongst the mountains. Which is where I came across her."

"So she flings glass instead of ice, won't those two hurt the same amount?" Victor was glad Emma was asking all the questions. It saved him from trying to figure out a scientific way to explain all this.

"The shards of glass were magic in nature. Relicts of a shattered magic mirror that would reveal the darkest parts of the person it reflected. Whoever destroyed it did an abysmal job, because the pieces just floated on the breeze infecting people's eyes. If a shard gets in your eyes, then you only see darkness around you. You think every person is a monster in disguise. But if a shard were to forcibly be pushed into someone's heart, say through a strong gust of wind or magic…."

Victor looked up from where he had been poking the cold skin. They were all staring at him.

"I can't imagine this is going to end well for me."

"It's not you I worry about Doctor. It's us. Or rather, what you will do to us."

"What the hell does that mean?" Killian was trying to get between the two of them again. Pointless really, considering how it had ended last time.

"It means, that a shard of this frozen glass with reveal the darkest parts of the person it is inside of. And I personally, am not looking forward to finding out just how dark Victor Frankenstein can go."

"So it is like having your heart ripped out."

"It's worse than that dearie. With your heart gone, you don't feel anything. It is as if your emotions are simply turned off. But with your heart frozen, you will feel your anger and your paranoia and your cruelty stronger than you ever have before. They will be all you feel. The glass reveals the emotions, reveals these things hidden in your heart, and the ice will burn inside of you. Tearing at you to let them out."

"So how do we fix him then? How do we…unfreeze his heart?"

"I'm afraid there's no cure dearie. Not even true love's kiss could break this spell. You have to remove the shard itself, which I'm fairly certain only the Doctor himself could do, and undo the magic freezing the shard which would require Elsa to unfreeze and…"

"Ok we get it, it will be difficult."

"I didn't say difficult dearie, I said impossible. There is nothing you can do to stop what the Doctor will become. Best thing to do for him, and us, is to end this now."

Victor felt like he should be contributing something to this conversation. Especially since it had just veered into killing him territory.

"Not happening." Emma was glaring at Gold. Regina looked contemplative. So his odds with her were probably fifty-fifty.

"We are not going to kill Whale. And we are not going to let him turn into…"

Snow didn't want to say it. Her eyes darted to him, then looked resolutely back at Gold.

"He won't become a monster."

"Well, when the Doctor here figures out how to kill us all in our sleep or poison the water supply, don't say I didn't warn you."

Rumpelstiltskin walked out of the room.

They all watched him walk out. Victor thought he should probably say something. And probably not mention that he already knew how to do both of those things.

"So…"

"Don't worry mate, we will figure out how to…."

"You should lock me up."

"Whale…"

"That isn't necessary mate…"

"Yes it is. If what he says is true then you should lock me up somewhere. Somewhere I won't be able to hurt anyone."

"I'm not going to lock you in a jail cell…"

"No, you're not. You're going to put me in a straight jacket and you are going to lock me in one of the padded rooms downstairs. You are going to have rotating shifts of guards, but don't allow any of them to talk to me. Or to enter the room for any reason, even if it looks like I am sick or having a heart attack. My food should be delivered on a tray without any utensils, make sure there are no bones I could use to…"

"That's pretty detailed." Emma was looking at him curiously.

"It's not the first time I've thought of it."

"You've thought out the best way to keep yourself locked up?"

"Yes, although you need to make random changes to my plan. There is always the possibility that I might have subconsciously built in a way to escape…"

Snow was looking directly in his eyes. He hated how compassionate, how understanding she could be sometimes.

"How long have you been worried that you would kill everyone?"

She meant in Storybrooke. She meant the people in the town, the people she knew. A few months would be an acceptable answer, they could understand that.

"Since I was ten and I realized how easy it would be."

The vast majority of your life was probably not what they wanted to hear. He started to button up his shirt.

"You should do this before I get worse. Before…" Before I no longer come willingly. He almost said it out loud. But something held him back. Something told him to keep that information to himself.

So it was starting already then.

Regina stepped forward.

"Let's go then Doctor."

Victor got the feeling that he might be glad for Regina's fifty-fifty stance on letting him live before too long.

She held up her hand to stop the others from following.

"I'll take him down to the cells. You go tell the rest of the rabble what is going on."

"We should…"

"And if someone else is hit with this same thing and goes on a rampage while you are busy coddling Whale? Then what? Go. I can handle him."

Regina waved the others away and started walking out of the room. Victor followed, but a hand on his arm stopped his progress.

"We will figure this out." Emma had that same sincerity her father and mother possessed. She just didn't use it as often.

He wanted to say something encouraging. Something about how he would fight it. How he knew they would win. But he had never been a convincing liar.

"Don't let anyone come to see me Emma. I mean it. No one." He was certain Emma knew the exact someone Victor was alluding to. "Please."

Emma nodded her head.

"I'll try. But do you really think these precautions are necessary? What if Gold is wrong and…"

"That man you saw in the street. The one that would have killed Rick without a thought. That part of me will take control, that part of me is….Yes. This is necessary."

Victor turned and followed Regina out of the room.

The trip down to the basement was quiet.

"You will need to change all of the combinations to the keypads. And don't use a number I could guess like Henry's birthday. Use a random number generator."

"We will."

"Good."

There was nothing else to say really.

"Two guards at all times by the door, but one at the end of the hall behind the reinforced door. Tell him no matter what happens he is to push the button for lock down at the slightest sign of something wrong. And it wouldn't hurt to have some sort of magical barrier as well. One that I've never seen before and couldn't…."

Regina had opened the door to his cell and his feet stopped. It wasn't a conscious decision. He wasn't even aware he had stopped moving until Regina looked him.

"Inside Doctor. Don't make me force you."

"I…Right…Sorry. I don't know…" He moved quickly inside the room. Regina turned and Victor grabbed her arm.

"Whale…"

"Don't…Don't let me kill anyone. Please Regina."

Victor didn't know how many times a person could sink into the depths of darkness and be able to pull themselves back out. But he was fairly certain he had reached his limit a long time ago.

"I'm sure the heroes will…"

"I'm not asking the heroes Regina, I'm asking you. Please. If you have to...Stop me."

Regina's looked at Victor and something like understanding passed between them.

She nodded at him, and he let go of her arm.

Suddenly he was all alone in his padded room. With nothing but his traitorous heart to keep him company.

 

Chapter 3

There was a room, created by scientists, that was completely silent. Not just quiet. Silent. Specifically designed to absorb sound instead of bouncing it back. The only sounds you can hear is your heart beating, the blood rushing through your veins, your lungs filling with stifled air. Noises your mind usually ignores. But it would seem that our minds cannot handle such quiet. Within a half an hour, you will begin to hallucinate. Your mind will create sounds, images, anything to distract you from the silence. No one can last even an hour in such a room.

Victor often wondered at this. What happen in our history, in the evolution of our species, that silence was not tolerated by our own minds? That our minds would drive us mad, rather than sit in absolute silence. What darkness hid in our pasts to evoke such a reaction?

Victor felt he might be coming close to the answer in his current cell. Not that it was silent. The lights above him made a comforting buzzing noise. There was often the sound of footsteps in the hallway beyond his door. Occasionally someone would open the slot and push food through. So far, no one had attempted to talk to him. They were following his rules. He could even feel the slight hum of magic in the air. The sound kept him grounded for the first few days. He was safe in here. He was safe from them.

No. No, that wasn't right. It was the other way around. They were safe from him. His thoughts had become increasingly difficult to pin down. He told himself it was the isolation. That solitude often invoked strange thoughts. But that wasn't it. He could feel it in his chest now. The slight burning. It was not just localized to his heart anymore. Half of his chest felt cold to the touch. Felt dead.

He had tried to keep his mind occupied. He recited pi as far as he could. He reread books he had memorized years ago. They hadn't allowed him any actual books. Nothing he could use to escape. He could have found a way to use the spine of the book to…he tried not to think on ways he could escape. But every day his efforts felt more and more futile. He couldn't start thinking about a book he read on the human eye before he was creating ways to experiment on eyes. Ones often still attached to their living hosts.

That was another thing he noticed. He wasn't thinking of them as people or friends or allies any more. They were hosts. Specimens.

Test Subjects.

He shouldn't be allowed out of this cell. He shouldn't want to get out. He should be stronger than this.

He didn't remember when he started counting the steps he heard outside. Searching his memory for every time he had heard someone walk up behind him. Started to figure out who was bringing him his meals. He recognized Emma's steps. He heard her stop in front of his door. Surely the savior had better things to do than deliver meals to prisoners. Surely she wouldn't stoop to coming down here if she didn't think he was a threat.

If she didn't consider him an enemy.

She lifted the small door and began to slide his tray through.

"Does it bother you that Regina killed Graham?"

The tray stopped halfway through the slot. He should stop. He should be able to fight the darkness in him by now. He had spent his entire life fighting that side of himself. He should be stronger than some witch's spell.

"A heart attack. I did the autopsy myself. But looking back on it now...It all seems so obvious. Why do you think she did it? What point did it serve in her plans? Do you think Graham would forgive you for betraying him? For letting his murderer get away? Not just get away, but be a welcomed guest at your dinner table?"

The tray clattered to the ground. The slot slammed shut. Victor felt a smile creep onto his face. He didn't try to fight it. Why should he? This is what they all expected of him, why they feared him. They thought they could keep him locked in here? Thought he was weak? He knew how to get out of here. It would just require a little patience.

A town's doctor was privy to all sorts of secrets. Dead men couldn't hide the truth from him.

He didn't recognize the steps of the person who came next, but they were light. Lighter than Emma's. So a woman. Victor mentally went through all of the women in town in his mind. Any who would match his requirements. It wasn't just her steps though, it was the way they scraped the ground, like a ballerina. Someone unused to trudging through life.

One of the fairies then. But which one? Mother Superior? No, these steps didn't have her familiar sound of confidence. It could be any of them...except Emma or David would only send someone they trust. Someone they thought could take care of themselves should Victor attempt something.

Tinkerbell.

Victor smiled. Perfect. They had only met in passing, and despite the warnings of the others, she might be willing to listen to him.

The tray was pushed through quickly. Victor had only a few seconds.

"Please. Tell Emma I'm sorry. I...I don't know why I said what I did. I just...please. Just...just tell me if anyone else is hurt. I just want to know what's going on."

Not bad. Just the right amount of pleading and desperation. He didn't hear her say anything in response. What he did hear was one of his guards make a hushing noise. She had been about to respond.

He spent the next few days in the same way. Making sure he only spoke to Tinkerbell. Made sure the guards outside his door weren't the same ones each time. It was clever of him to make Emma switch them out so often. They wouldn't know how often Victor was attempting to talk. How he was attempting to glean information. He figured a few more days and he would have her.

Apparently fate was on his side, two days later the power went out. His silent existence was now paired with complete darkness. They had given him a room without windows. He couldn't see anything. And no one else could see what was happening inside the room. He couldn't just start screaming help. They would be suspicious of that. So he sat in the darkness until he heard the familiar sound of footsteps.

He threw himself into the door. He put a hand over his mouth and made muffled sounds. Loud enough that the guards outside could hear it.

"Doctor Whale, are you alright?"

A loud kick to the door, another muffled yell, and he could hear them arguing amongst themselves.

"They said never to...no matter what."

"They also said people had been trying to kill him. What if whatever it is, has come back to finish the job? We're supposed to protect..."

"Oh for goodness sake, open the door! He needs help." The fairy could be quite forceful when she wanted to be. An amateur would hide in the darkness and wait for the guards to enter. Then attack. But that was a foolish plan, too many variables to consider. Victor wasn't used to using his fist to get what he wanted. His mind was his greatest asset. He would never be so careless as to let his emotions guide his actions.

Compassion was always the mark of a fool.

As soon as the door opened, Victor threw himself backwards. His shoulders slamming into the hallway wall opposite of his cell's door. He had given the appearance that he had been flung from the room. He slid to the ground. The hallway was bathed in the red glow of the emergency lights.

"Doctor..."

"Be careful...it's..."

He pointed back at the darkened room. He glanced to the door at the end of the hall. The guard couldn't push the emergency lockdown button if the power was out. The two men turned their backs to him, facing the darkened cell. Tinkerbell moved to kneel beside him. He grabbed the knife at her belt and pushed her away. Two quick surgical stabs to the legs of the guards and they were on their knees. He grabbed the guns at their belts then he pushed both of them into the room and slammed the door. Tinkerbell had regained her feet during his scuffle with the guards and was now pointing another blade at him.

Victor smiled.

"There's no need for that my dear."

"Don't come any closer Doctor. I don't want to stab you. But I will if I have to."

Victor smiled at her. He raised one of the weapons and pulled the trigger.

He looked at Tinkerbell writhing on the ground then at the weapon in his hand. A taser then, not a gun. Oh well. He threw the used taser to the ground and stuffed the other in his belt. He grabbed the fairy's arm and dragged her towards the door at the end of the hall. He could see the third guard behind it, clearly torn about what to do. He had a taser in his hands as well. How sentimental these people could be. Thinking about his safety while guarding him.

"Doctor, please don't..."

Victor pulled Tinkerbell to her feet. His hand wrapped around her throat. One of her blades in his hands.

"Open the door, or I start peeling the skin off of her face." Barbaric, of course. But sometimes such things were necessary for progress. And these fools were standing in his way.

The man hesitated. Victor made a quick clean cut to her face. She twitched in his arms.

"Alright. Alright. Stop."

This was too easy. Victor was a little disgusted at how easy. On his world, the guards never would have opened the door. They would have let the girl be flayed alive. His people were much stronger than these imbeciles.

The door clicked open and Victor tased the man before he could get any ideas in his head. Not highly likely but still.

He still needed to get past the magical barrier around the floor. That wouldn't be too difficult. He knew there was a mental component to keeping such a barrier in place. And Regina might find her attentions...divided here soon.

He should slit Tinkerbell's throat. If the fairy recovered she might find a way to stop him. To warn the others. He should kill her and the guard and walk out. He put the blade to her neck...

His hands were shaking.

His hands never shook.

A surgeon couldn't have shaking hands. His research would be compromised. His procedures ruined. He removed the blade from her neck.

The shaking stopped.

He moved it towards her again, and it returned.

Interesting.

He would have to take the time to investigate this anomaly at a later time. Perhaps when he was not in the middle of an escape.

He dropped her to the ground and headed towards the supply room. Regina had been foolish to encompass almost the entire floor. He had access to so much down here.

So many glorious chemicals.

People truly underestimated the power of cleaning supplies. So easily obtained, so easy to fashion a bomb or two. It wouldn't do to burn down the entire hospital of course. He couldn't risk destroying all the equipment upstairs, he might need some of the machines for his experiments. The fire alarm was not connected to the main power, it would still sound regardless. He quickly got to work mixing the chemicals together, making sure they were at the right temperature. The right pressure.

He placed one near the stairwell and one near the outer wall of the hospital. On the other side of the wall was an alley that connected to the main street. One of the first things he had done when he had gotten his memories back was to figure out all the best escape routes. Not just out of the hospital, but out of his apartment, out of town hall, out of the Sheriff's Office. Anywhere he might find himself one day needing to flee quickly.

He soaked a rag in a different chemical concoction and then pulled the fire alarm. He lit the rag and placed it near the air vents. They might assume this was a trap, assume that he was down here waiting for them. Or they might come charging in. Secure in the knowledge that a man without magic couldn't possibly be a match for Regina or Rumpelstiltskin.

Fools.

Death was no match for him. Did they really think that a few self-righteous magic users could hope to contain him? All they had, all their power, came from objects. A dagger. A spell book. Trinkets. His power came from his own mind. His power was limitless.

The chemical rag caused a thick black smoke to quickly fill the hall. The smoke would disorient them, keep them from seeing his concealed bombs until it was too late. Victor had tied a rag over his face, it wouldn't do to breathe in the acrid smoke. It would be rather embarrassing to pass out during his attempted escape. He waited by the stairwell until he heard their footsteps coming down. Then he lit the fuse and ran back towards his cell.

He pulled Tinkerbell towards his cell door. He pulled off his tie and pressed it to an imaginary wound on her stomach. It would be more realistic, less likely for the others to see through his ruse, if he actually stabbed her. His musings were cut short by the sounds of David and Robin yelling.

"Tinkerbell!"

"Down here!" Victor tried to look appropriately disgruntled. As though he wasn't quite sure what was happening. Perhaps he should have tried to appear more disheveled. He should have wounded himself a bit.

"Whale..coughcough…what the hell is…"

"I don't know. I was in my cell when all of a sudden smoke started pouring through the doors. Tinkerbell opened the door said we had to get out and then something attacked her. I couldn't see through the smoke."

"Where are the other guards."

"I…I don't know. I only saw her."

"I think some…"

Suddenly a wave of magic was blowing towards them, pushing the smoke away.

Regina.

Not long now.

"What the hell are you boys doing? Waiting for an invitation? Let's get the hell out of here."

Victor picked Tinkerbell up, letting David and Regina go in front while Robin trailed behind him.

Too quickly. He needed to…

He hesitated a moment. Regina and David continued back towards the stairwell. Robin stopped behind him.

"Doctor is everything…"

"Sorry, she just moved a bit in my arms. I just needed a second to readjust and…"

The countdown in his mind finally concluded. He and Robin were on the other side of the security door. David and Regina were farther ahead, almost out of sight. The unconscious security guard slung over David shoulders in a fireman's carry. Victor sidestepped quickly. Making it appear he was just trying to get a better grip on the injured fairy. Not trying to get behind the metal of the door.

The first bomb went off.

Even this far away from it, Victor and Robin were knocked off their feet. Robin quickly sprang up.

"Regina!"

Interesting.

Victor would file that information away for later. Victor stood slowly, he walked carefully towards the blast. David and the guard were on a heap by the wall. Victor bent down and checked them. Then took their guns and handcuffs. Both men were bleeding. But alive. Regina however, was a bit worse off. No doubt her magic protected her from what should have been a fatal blast at so close a range. Robin was hunched over Regina. He had abandoned his crossbow.

"Regina, wake up. Please, please my dear…" Victor quietly bent down and retrieved the crossbow. It was foolish to leave weapons in the hands of your enemy. Robin seemed to suddenly realize Victor was there.

"Doctor, you have to…" In the panic of it all, they seemed to have forgotten why it was Victor was down there in the first place. Perhaps they simply hadn't believed Rumpelstiltskin, perhaps they thought the doctor could fight his demons on his own. Maybe they honestly believed love could conquer any evil. How he had ever associated with anyone so naïve he couldn't understand. It was all so clear now.

They were weak.

But with a few minor surgical procedures, he could make them stronger.

It was for their own good.

Victor leveled the crossbow directly at Robin's chest. The man raised his hands slowly.

"Doctor…you can fight this. You can…"

"Fight what exactly? My true nature? I have been fighting that my entire life. Don't you see? I'm not fighting anymore, because the real me has won. That weak, pathetic creature I was before? I don't need him. I only…"

Robin moved swiftly, his hand grabbing the crossbow in one swift motion. It was Victor's own fault. A monologue? How cliché. He would have to work on keeping his narcissism in check. He could explain how great and masterful his plans were, after he had a more…receptive audience.

Vladimir had once tried to teach Victor how to fight. It had been an abysmal failure. Victor could never keep his sword steady. Could never go in for the kill when necessary. It was because he always knew exactly the damage he would inflict. Exactly which muscles would tear. Which bones would break. All the things he would no doubt have to go back and fix later.

Now, he had no such reservations.

When Robin grabbed the crossbow, Victor simply moved his hand up the man's arm and swiftly dislocated his elbow. An exceedingly painful injury, but not debilitating. So he swung the crossbow down and shattered the man's collarbone. This time Robin screamed in agony.

Victor stepped over the writhing man and walked towards the second bomb. He lit the fuse and headed towards the stairs.

"…doctor…don't…"

Victor turned and gave the thief a cursory glance.

"I would advise you to let the others know that I wish to be left alone. Anyone who attempts to come after me will not be treated as delicately as I have you. The only reason I am letting you live, is to deliver this message. I do not need their intrusions, I only seek solitude so that I may work on my experiments in peace. Do not attempt to interfere and there need not be any more unpleasantness."

Victor quickly moved up the stairs, then ducked into a nearby closet. He watched as Killian, Emma, Ruby, and Snow rush towards the stairs. The smoke would mess with Ruby's ability to sniff him out. As they were about to descend the staircase, the second bomb went off. Sending a new wave of smoke up the stairs.

Killian was yelling at Emma. So was Snow as a matter of fact. Trying to get her to listen. Instead, she simply created a force shield around herself and the others and started down the stairs. Typical heroes.

She didn't have the same control that Regina and Gold did. Didn't have their years of experience or endurance. Such a spell would surely drain her, tax her still relatively new found powers. She would be weakened. He waited a few more seconds, then headed out the front door. They would be looking for him down the alley near that rather large hole he had just blown in the wall. They wouldn't think to look for him walking out the front door, getting in his car, and just driving away.

He gambled on the fact that they wouldn't have let the entire town know about what had happened to him. They probably just told everyone he was recovering from the attack. None of the commoners would think twice about seeing him driving back to his apartment, picking up a few things, and then driving away again. Stopping to buy a few things at a few stores.

No. He had no idea what was going on at the hospital. Why, he would head right over there immediately. These people were so easily placated.

He drove to the Rabbit Hole then stole a truck parked outside. Combustion engine vehicles were so easy to hot wire. He had built one when he was seven.

He knew he had to find a place where he could be alone, a place where he could think and plan out his experiments. The best places were the ones he would be easily found. He had no doubts that they would continue to look for him, regardless of the warning he had given the thief. They would try to interfere. Try to stop him from completing his research. They were so simple in their thoughts. They would try to stand in the way of progress. How could they possibly understand what he had planned?

Well. He would just have to show them.

Chapter 4

Emma would have preferred to do this anywhere other than Granny's. But sometimes life was just a bitch like that.

"You did what?"

"Ruby please, he told us to."

"He told you to throw him into the loony bin?"

"Yes love, in fact he was rather adamant about it. Seemed to think he was a danger to…"

Ruby began to push her way past Emma and Killian.

"I'm going to go see him."

"Ruby wait. You can't."

"And why not? You put him in a Hannibal Lecter mask and he can't speak?"

Emma tried to be gentle with Ruby. Tried to imagine what it would be like if someone she loved had just asked to be locked away. More terrified of himself than any outside enemy.

"He doesn't want you to come."

"Excuse me? He specifically said not to let me come visit him. I doubt…"

Emma was saved the embarrassment of outing Ruby and Victor's relationship to Granny by Killian's signature lack of tact.

"You know exactly why love. If he does, in fact, go crazy and start killing the people he cares about…You would be on the top of that list."

Ruby seemed momentarily shaken. She made a quick glance towards Granny.

"I don't know why you think that he would…"

"Oh please girl, you two aren't nearly as subtle as you think. Hell I've been feeding that boy the worst coffee in the world for the last few weeks and he still shows up every morning and orders it without complaint."

"Granny!"

"What? Ok, I'll admit I was a little harsh on the boy at times. But…it's hard to tell with him…who he is. He puts on that cocky doctor look and all I see is Dr. Whale swooping in here and hitting on every girl in town."

Ruby looked a little offended at that.

"Granny. Victor is not Dr. Whale…"

"I know, I know. It's not…I guess I just don't think any man is good enough for you. Thought I would see how much he would put up with. Believe me, if I thought his mind was only on one thing, I would have shot him with my crossbow long ago."

Emma found that oddly sweet. Granny had been testing Whale. Seeing if he was willing to put up with coffee that tasted like battery acid just to get to see Ruby for a few minutes each morning. Maybe the womanizer really was a gentleman underneath all that bravado.

Ruby deflated a little.

"I…I don't want him to think he's alone in this."

Emma took a step forward. She put a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Trust me, he knows. We made damn sure he did. But…he was adamant. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, especially not you. And if he can't attack us from that cell I can guarantee he will try to use his words to do it. He doesn't want to say something to you he couldn't take back."

"I would know it wasn't him."

"Yea, but he wouldn't know it. You're telling me the genius wouldn't over analyze everything until he was certain that it was him? We are going to keep whatever damage he could do to a minimum. I promise you that. Hell, he wanted us to put him in a straightjacket too."

Ruby gave Emma a vicious look. Emma retracted her hand. Her voice was placating.

"We didn't. We didn't. Ruby, please, you have to trust us. This is what he wants."

Ruby exhaled slowly.

"Ok. Let's just find this bitch quickly and have her undo whatever she did to him."

Emma smiled at Ruby. Then shared a quick glance with Killian. Neither spoke about what Gold had said. About there being no hope of a cure. That it would only get worse and worse. Once the ice had moved through his entire body, once he was completely frozen, there would be no way to save him. Emma refused to believe it. There had to be a way. Once they found this Elsa, they would be able to save Whale and that would be that. It had taken her a long time to believe that happy endings could exist for everyone, even if they weren't from a fairy tale world. She wasn't going to give up on that now.

Unfortunately the first few days passed with little luck. None of the people sent out to find this Elsa came back with any hint of where she was. Ruby was spending all of her time searching for a scent. But the weather was making it almost impossible.

The snow had begun in earnest not long after Elsa's initial attack on Whale. If this girl was sorry about what she was doing, she had a funny way of showing it. It was no longer just bitterly cold, now there were mounds of snow forming. Forming faster than even their snow plows could keep up. Emma kicked the snow off of her boots and walked into her parent's apartment.

"Hey." Her mother looked up from where she was cradling her baby brother.

"Hey. How did it…not good I gather." It was beginning to be unnerving how quickly her mother could read her moods.

"This ridiculous snow won't stop. We've had to call off half the teams. Not because we don't know where to look, but because it's too cold to search those areas. Robin said his men, even with all the extra layers of clothes we gave them, can't stay in certain areas too long without risking hypothermia." Emma made a disgruntled sound and flopped onto the couch.

Emma heard Snow put Neal down in his crib, then she pushed Emma's wet boots off the couch and sat down.

And then she said nothing.

Emma peeked out from under the arm thrown over her face.

"Yes?"

"Nothing."

"You are literally the worst liar I have ever met."

Snow made a slight sighing noise. Emma did not like the sound of that.

"It's just that you have been pushing everyone pretty hard towards this and…"

"And what? You don't think that we should? That we should just…"

"Of course not. But honey, we can barely see two feet in front of us with the snow storms. Even Regina and Gold's magic can't seem to slow it down. It's unlikely we will find this Elsa during these blizzards. We have to wait til they let up a little. Why do you keep pushing so hard?"

"I don't know."

"Emma…"

She did know of course. But it was hard to explain to Snow. Hard to explain that it wasn't just saving Whale, or stopping the latest threat, or keeping the town safe, or avoiding thinking about the fact that this was mostly her fault entirely. Hm. Maybe it was that last one.

Snow seemed to see something change in Emma's face.

"Honey this isn't…"

"I know. Ok. I know. I know Killian and I didn't mean to get sucked into that portal. I know we didn't mean to bring back someone who could freeze people and turn them into the evil twin versions of themselves or…"

"Emma. If you…"

"You can know something to be true. Know it was an accident. But you can still feel guilty about it. Doing the right thing and feeling guilty aren't mutually exclusive emotions. You can feel both at the same time. So yea, I feel guilty about bringing Elsa here and…"

"Just Elsa?" Regina had entered the apartment silently. There was a time when her appearance would have had Emma reaching for her gun. "No one else?"

Emma had thought about Marian. She could still see the devastated look on Regina's face in the Diner. But then another face would enter her mind. Roland. The smile on his face when he got to see his mom again.

"Just Elsa." Emma looked Regina square in the eyes. Regina curled her lip. Snow stood abruptly.

"Regina. Did you find something?"

Emma rolled her eyes at Regina's continued glare.

"I should head over to the hospital. I've been taking Whale his food."

"Finally a job that matches your skill level."

"Regina…"

"It's alright. Some of us don't mind doing things for others even if there isn't anything in it for ourselves." Emma kissed her mother on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Ok…bye."

Emma left the apartment. She was sure whatever Regina had been there to tell them, Snow would relay to her later. Emma had been avoiding Regina as much as possible. She didn't regret saving Marian's life. But she did feel a bit of guilt that she had disrupted Regina's…progress. The woman was truly trying to leave her old self behind, and Robin and Roland had been a good influence.

Emma had even tried to keep her distance from Killian for this reason. She didn't want to flaunt her own happiness in front of the woman. Make it look like she didn't care about her feelings. Killian had understood. Damn man always seemed to understand. He had just kissed her hand and said he would stick with David in their searches.

She was smiling, thinking about her ridiculous pirate when she entered the hospital.

When she left however, all humor was gone. Whale's words ringing in her ears.

She knew what Whale was trying to do. Trying to divide them. Trying to make it so they wouldn't trust one another. Emma tried to be calm about it. Tried to remind herself that it wasn't Whale saying these things. They needed to work together if they were going to defeat this powerful enemy.

Now was not the time to turn on each other.

A text from her father telling her to meet them at Granny's was barely a distraction. Especially since it was likely that Regina would be there.

"How is the…everything alright love?"

"Fine." Emma brushed past Killian, her tone harsher than she had intended. Damn Doctor had known exactly what to say. Exactly where would cut the deepest. Her anger bubbled to the surface when Regina appeared. She tried to keep it down. Henry was with Regina. She couldn't say what she wanted to with Henry standing there.

"What's going on?" Most of the search teams were gathered in Granny's. David, the dwarves, Robin and his men, Ruby, Archie, even Gold was there with Belle.

Robin stepped forward.

"I've spoken with the prince and we have agreed that we need to call off the search for the time being. The weather is simply too dangerous to be out in, even with…magical protection."

"Gold?" Emma turned her question towards the pawn shop owner.

"I'm afraid they are right. Although the longer we wait, the stronger she will get. She's been trapped in that vase for some time now. She's finally gotten the chance to let her power out. I'm not sure she even knows how powerful she is."

David turned towards Emma.

"Everything ok with Whale?"

She wanted to grit her teeth. Say it was fine. Say she could handle whatever else the doctor could come up with. But now was not the time to hide hard truths. Not when it could come back to hurt them.

"No. He's…"

Gold gave a slight smile.

"The good Doctor's not so good any more I take it. Maybe it's time to consider…"

Ruby stepped towards Gold. Emma could have sworn she heard the werewolf growl.

"Rumple." Belle gave Gold a disapproving look. Then she turned towards Ruby. "Sorry, he's just cranky today. Did Doctor Whale try to escape?"

"No. But whatever demon he is fighting…appears to be gaining the upper hand. I think someone else should start bringing him his meals."

David started to speak.

"Ok. I'll…"

"No. Someone he doesn't know. Someone he can't…try to manipulate."

Regina snorted.

"Really? Whale, manipulate us? Honestly Emma can't you…"

"Shut the hell up Regina!" The room went quiet. Emma turned away from their stunned looks.

"Some one he doesn't know." Emma directed the statement at David and then stormed out of the diner.

She knew Killian would be right behind her.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright love. Just wanted to make sure you didn't wander off and get lost in the snow and have no one to warm you up."

She rolled her eyes more on habit than anything else.

"You never let up do you?"

"Never with you."

She continued walking in silence until they were inside her parent's building. She stopped at the base of the stairs that would lead up to their apartment.

"Gold wasn't right."

Killian raised an eyebrow.

"Whale. There was no way that killing him was the right decision."

"You don't have to tell me that love. Plus I'm fairly certain there is a werewolf that would have ripped our throats out if we had tried."

"But…I'm worried. About what he is capable of."

"Emma. Look at me love. I don't know what he might or might not do. Nor do I quite understand your all's fear of him. But I know that whatever comes, we will persevere. You will persevere."

"Because I'm the savior?" Emma was getting a little sick of people telling her it was her destiny to always be the one to stop evil. That her life was already decided for her.

"No. Because you're Emma Swan. And there is nothing else you need be." As romantic and reassuring as Killian could be, there was still doubt in Emma's mind. Doubt that they should be pressing harder. Should be trying to do more. Trying to keep Whale from going past the point of no return. Trying to stop this ice bitch from turning more people.

It was several days before the snow broke enough for any of them to leave their homes. And Emma was greeted in the street by a thoroughly disgruntled Ruby. Emma was sure, whatever she was feeling, Ruby was feeling times a thousand.

"We have a slight problem."

"How slight?"

"The Hoffenträumen is gone."

"What?"

"Well we didn't lock the thing up and Victor always said it wouldn't leave because it needed the cold but…"

"But it's been cold enough outside that it didn't feel the need to remain cooped up inside. Super. We will have to make sure anyone who goes out knows that thing is friendly and…"

It was the middle of the day but Emma could still see the moment when all the lights in the nearby buildings went out.

"Now what?"

Emma called David. David called Grumpy. Grumpy told them he wasn't the town's electrician. Emma pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Any idea who the town's electrician is?"

Apparently no one did. They were going to have to have an actual phone book printed up of who was still doing their cursed jobs and who had decided to stop. It wasn't like Mary Margaret was still teaching elementary school. Others had to have decided to give up their jobs as well.

Ruby and Emma had even gone to Archie to see if he had any idea but he was just as clueless as the rest of them.

"Someone has to know how to fix the power." Emma was getting frustrated. Her inability to fix even something as simple as a power outage was starting to get to her. Ruby was about to suggest something when Snow and Killian came running towards them.

"Something's happening at the hospital. David just called. Something about a fire."

Emma felt it in the pit of her stomach. Felt the certainty.

Whale.

By the time they reached the hospital most of the staff and patients had evacuated. There was smoke pouring up from a stairwell that lead to the basement. Snow grabbed her arm.

"Emma wait. We don't know what's going on down there if we just rush…"

"You're mother's right love. We can't just run in there blindly."

"And if David is hurt or dying down there? What are we supposed to just wait until…."

There was a sound like an explosion, then more smoke began to pour out of the stairwell. The smoke was thick and black, even the little bit that they were breathing in was causing them to cough.

"No more waiting."

"Emma…"

Emma ignored whatever else Killian said, she focused on creating a shield around herself and the others. She didn't quite have the control that Regina had, but she could still create one. She hoped it would last long enough to get everyone out of there.

"Let's go."

She didn't wait to see if the others followed her. Just headed down the steps. The smoke couldn't penetrate the protective bubble she had created around them. But she also couldn't see outside of their small circle of protection. The smoke was too thick. They were moving slowly when her foot hit something.

Robin.

Snow rushed to his side. Emma turned to find Killian had found Regina not very far away. She saw a blur move past her and suddenly Ruby was no longer within her shield. The werewolf had run straight towards where Whale's cell was.

Emma took a few more steps and found David slumped against a wall. She checked his pulse and was relieved to find it steady.

"What the hell happened?" She whispered.

"Victor's gone."

Ruby was back within the shield. She had Tinkerbell slung over her shoulder. The two guards protecting Whale's cell were limping behind her, each supporting the other.

Ruby's voice was toneless. So unlike her normal bubbly voice. She knew too. The man she cared about had done this. Had tried to kill so many of her friends. Emma was determined now. No one else. No one else was going to suffer while she did nothing.

Not even Whale.

"We will get to him Ruby. We will save him." To hell with Gold. To hell with the idea that there was no hope. Emma would be damned if she let her doubts interfere with saving a life. She wasn't going to let that happen. She was the Savior damn it. Time she started saving.

Ruby nodded at Emma's proclamation, then reached down and pulled David up over her other shoulder. Emma forgot how strong Ruby was.

By the time they got everyone upstairs and found a competent doctor to treat everyone, hours had passed. Wherever Whale had gone, he was unlikely to be found before nightfall.

Robin had gained consciousness first and explained the doctor's actions. It was the next morning before everyone, save Regina, was able to talk and give a clear sequence of events. Regina was still unconscious, her wounds more severe than the others.

"It's lucky we all survived."

David was lying in a hospital bed, Neal tucked under one arm. Snow standing protectively beside them. Henry sat to the other side. He had spent most of the night by Regina's bedside. He had insisted Archie sit with Regina while he was away checking on his grandfather.

"I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean kiddo?"

"Well I mean, if you think about it. Whale is Frankenstein. The Frankenstein."

"Yea kid, we all know who Whale is."

"I'm just saying, I think maybe we don't. If even a little of his story is true then he's like a super genius. He's the super genius of gothic literature. Maybe all literature. Just seems like if he wanted you all dead, he could have done it no problem. Probably short circuited a wire and electrified the ground or something. I think he was still holding back. That must mean he's still holding on to his good side. Even if he doesn't realize it."

"Kid."

"I'm just saying. We shouldn't give up. Because I don't think he has. No matter what he said to Robin."

"No one is giving up on Whale, Henry. I promise." Snow smiled at Emma and Henry.

"Your mom's right, we know this wasn't who he really is."

"Cool. I just…wanted to be sure. I'm going to go check on Regina. Her nurse said she should be waking up soon." Henry gave Emma a quick hug and left the room.

"That boy has a big heart. Just like his mom."

Emma shied away from her parents approving gazes.

"Yea, how about we save the family moments for when we actually find Whale and save him."

They were still smiling. As if they had already won the battle.

"We will sweetie. You heard Henry. I don't think Gold knows as much about this mirror as he is trying to make us believe. There will be a way."

Emma decided to change topics.

"How's Ruby?"

Snow's smile was slightly more forced.

"She's…she's doing the best she can. She thinks if she can just find Whale she will be able to convince him to come back. She's upset, thinks that we shouldn't have left him alone. Shouldn't have isolated him to the point where…."

"Where his mind could start to turn against him?"

"She won't listen to reason."

"Maybe listening to reason was what got us in this mess."

"What do you mean?" David shifted Neal in his arms.

"I mean, we listened to Whale's plan because it sounded so logical. So well thought out. We listened to Gold about why Elsa is attacking the town, because he has a history with her. Neither of those things has worked out for us so far. I say we…we stop letting logic decide what our moves are and do what we do best. Follow our guts." Emma looked at David. "You said that Whale was trying to protect Elsa even though she attacked him?"

"Yea, he tried to say that he just slipped on the ice. I think he forgot he had told Robin about her."

"And when Gold was yelling at him in the hospital, what was it Whale said?"

"That she seemed genuinely upset that she had hurt him." Snow seemed to be catching on to Emma's line of thinking.

"So my guts saying that we have been doing this all wrong. We have been going after Elsa like she is another villain we have to fight, when she might just be a girl who needs our help. Us running around the woods with crossbows and guns drawn probably hasn't given her any incentive to think we won't attack her. It's just like what happened with the Hoffenträumen, people thought it was a monster and reacted accordingly."

Snow finished Emma's thought.

"So we start searching for her without weapons, and we tell her that Whale needs help. That the man she accidentally attacked is hurt and that she can save him. And if she is just another one of Gold's former victims…"

"Exactly. She will want to do the right thing."

David was looking between the two women with admiration in his eyes.

"Sounds like a great plan." He made a move to get out of the bed, but Neal made a noise like he was going to wake up and David stilled.

"Looks like you're not going anywhere. Don't worry, we will take care of this." Snow leaned down and kissed both of her boys on their heads. "Diaper bag's on the chair."

"Be careful. Both of you."

Emma gave her father a quick hug and kissed her brother on the head. Emma and Snow headed out of the hospital. Emma was certain this was the right call.

"What should we tell Ruby?"

"Tell her that we think Elsa is a victim and we are going to try to help her. Tell her to keep looking for Whale. If anyone can get through to him, it will be her."

"I don't doubt it. Those two have always had a…connection."

"Frankenstein and the werewolf. Makes sense to me."

Snow gave a small laugh.

"I suppose it does."

"I'm sorry is it weird for you…"

"No. The man delivered my son for goodness sake. I think any lingering awkwardness flew out the window at that. Plus, Ruby has been…more carefree than I have seen her in a long time. If he is the reason for that, then I am happy for them."

"Yea. Let's just hope there is a happy ending here."

 

Chapter 5

Electricity was a fickle thing. So powerful, and yet so frustratingly uneven at times. How could something that could strike from the sky and set fires that could burn entire cities, also fail to provide enough current for him to power a single portable heater? Victor sighed in frustration. It probably had more to do with his current circumstance than any fault in the natural power of the energy.

He had quickly realized that they would find him if he stuck to a regular pattern. If he fell back into his old ways. They would assume he would need large amounts of power, access to a lab, and a few corpses. They would search places with large generators, sterile environments, and graveyards.

But that was ridiculous. He could hardly start his experiments up without any planning. It was true that he could perform the same procedure that had brought his brother and Daniel back to life, but that would only produce the same result. He needed to improve on his designs. He needed to delve into why the subjects had returned altered. His realm didn't have access to the research done on brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation like this one.

He would have to try to determine if it was brain damage that caused the personality issues he had encountered in his two subjects. Perhaps if he had a fresh corpse and tested that against one that had been dead for a longer period of time, he could compare the two results.

And there was still his reliance on the magical hearts that he had to consider. Those were an external factor messing with his results. He couldn't properly correlate the factors that may have caused the issues if he didn't understand all of the working parts. He would need to find a way to make his experiments work without a magical influence, then he could properly understand the issues that might arise.

And Gold's cabin was the perfect place for that. Of course Gold's cabin had been dangerously close to the eye of the storm, making his reliance on the portable heater rather necessary. The truck he had stolen had stopped working almost a mile from the place. Victor had hidden the truck as best he could, then continued walking. He had been mentally counting how much longer he could go before hypothermia became a real problem when he had finally reached his destination. He had managed to get the heater going, a fire was out of the question, someone would surely see the smoke. Which is why he had bought three heaters, and several very thick blankets and sweaters.

The snow would completely cover even the abandoned truck before long. Victor shouldn't have been surprised that the electricity to the cabin would be shoddy at best. So he had bought a generator as well. No one had even batted an eye at his purchases, most townspeople had been doing the same. He was lucky there was even one left.

Now that he was alone, he could finally get back to doing what he truly loved. Getting lost in theory. He wrote endlessly in his notebooks. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, writing down every conclusion, every probability. Ideas his old self would never have even considered. Of course the subjects had rejected the hearts. He had used dead ones to replace them. If he was able to perform a transplant from a living host then it was far more likely to succeed. It was all so clear now. All those thoughts he had never allowed to take shape, all those ideas he had suppressed, came flowing through his hand and on to the page. He designed machines he had first thought of when he was a child. Improvements to machines that already existed. Ways to fix things that people didn't even realize were broken.

Days passed in his isolation. Days of perfect, exquisite mental challenges.

How weak he had been before. How foolish. He had let those simple minded fools influence him. Let them try to put their pathetic morality in his mind. They were mosquitos, buzzing around him, distracting him, sucking away at his blood, for their own selfish uses.

No longer was he bound to them. To anything. He was so far…

He noticed a noise. All the more noticeable, by the fact that he could hear it at all. The wind had been howling for days. Slamming against the shutters, blowing down the fireplace. And now it wasn't. He could see light streaming in through the windows. Somehow the storms had stopped and he hadn't noticed. Too caught up in exercises he had so long suppressed. But that was not the noise that had alerted him.

It was the unmistakable sound of boots crunching in the snow.

He had been found.

He had told them to leave him in peace. To let him simply do his work. But they wouldn't listen. Couldn't see past their own pathetic little lives. His work would transcend their sad little morality. Their tiny little lives.

He had been prepared for this. Prepared for an encounter of this nature. In fact, they should be coming up on his first line of defense just about…

Now.

Screams echoed around the cabin. How those noises used to affect him so. How he used to try and run to their aid, like a nursemaid to a screaming babe. To a spoiled child.

Now, they were a mere annoyance. Let someone else toil towards futility. Although this was the perfect opportunity to acquire a few new subjects, a few test runs before he tried the real thing. See how their bodies would react to different…stimuli.

Victor opened the door to the cabin, there were four men laying on the ground around the entrance. They had all approached from one side? Amateurs.

"Ah, Sheriff. How good to see you again."

Rick looked up from his prone position. Or at least tried to. It was rather difficult to see anything with the amount of homemade mace in his eyes. All of Victor's defenses were meant to incapacitate, he didn't want to damage the specimens.

"You…what have you done to…I can't see."

"How observant of you."

Victor walked over towards the other three men starting to stir on the ground. The mace also contained a sedative, not enough to cause unconsciousness but enough to calm the person down. Victor could then inject them with a stronger sedative. It was much simpler when the subjects were docile.

After he had taken care of the other three men, he returned to Rick.

"I find it most fortuitous Rick that…."

"My name isn't Rick."

"It isn't?"

"No."

"Ah. Everyone seems to think it is. I've heard other people call you that. Doesn't say much about you does it, that no one can remember either of your names? Well I'm afraid that's what I have been calling you in my head so that's what I am going to continue on with. Too late to change it now."

Victor handcuffed Rick and pulled him to his feet. No sense carrying the man's dead weight if he could walk. The other three were going to be trouble enough to get into the cabin.

"Well Rick, as it turns out, I had just reached a rather critical stage in my research. I had gone as far as theory could take me. Now it is time to move up to the experimentation stage."

Rick tried to dig his heels in, tried to fight back.

Victor dislocated Rick's shoulder.

"Please stop that. I can hurt you in ways that won't be permanent. But will be excruciating I assure you."

Once inside the cabin, Victor shoved Rick down and tied him to a chair. Then he pulled out his phone, turned on the microphone and camera. This realm was so conducive to the scientific pursuits.

"Subject is a male, mid 30s. Average build. Approximately 6'2" and…"

"You can't do this! I…"

"You are interrupting my recordings. Please be quiet or I will be forced to remove your tongue."

Rick went silent. It wasn't even a threat really. Victor was planning on removing the man's tongue eventually. It would just get in the way when he opened up the man's throat and…

Rick's eyes darted to the door.

Oh, that idiot.

They hadn't all attacked from one side. Rick was meant to be a distraction. A way to keep Victor busy until they could surround him. And Victor had very nearly fallen for it.

Victor turned off the microphone and camera and dialed Emma's number.

He was almost embarrassed for her when he heard it ring outside.

He moved behind Rick and put a knife to his throat. He waited for Emma to answer his call.

"Whale…"

"I specifically asked to be left alone Emma. There was no need for this."

"Yea. Sorry, we can't do that. You're…sick."

"Interesting theory. But I'm afraid you are wrong. Now we could go back and forth, you telling me why I should give up and me countering with why I should be allowed to remain free. But I don't feel like wasting either of our precious time. So let me be plain, leave now, and you can take the three men outside with you."

"That's not really…"

"I only need one subject for my experiments at the moment. Rick here will do nicely. He has an excellent zygomatic arch, which will work perfectly for what I am attempting to achieve. I am offering to let you leave with three men. If you attempt to enter this place and take me, or him, you will leave with considerably less. I am offering you a chance to save three, perhaps even more, lives."

"You know we can't do that."

"Do I? You are being rather stubborn about this Emma."

"Look, we think we have a way to save you. It doesn't have to go like this…"

"You are underestimating me."

"No we…"

"Yes you are. Because you think that by keeping me on the line you are distracting me. When what has really been happening is I have been distracting you. You see, I haven't been giving you your typical villain speech. Threatening to kill you and your family, I've been trying to save your lives. Trying to appeal to your reason, so that you will leave this place quickly. I am a doctor after all."

"How is what you are going to do to Rick saving him?"

"Well…there are always sacrifices in the pursuit of scientific discovery. One must be willing to cross certain lines if progress is to be made."

"We aren't leaving without him. Or you."

"Then you are going to just have to sit there and while Ruby dies."

He heard the silence on the other end of the phone. They truly thought he was a fool, another misguided person out on some personal vendetta.

"I assume you were waiting for her to sneak up on me. Come in through the back door? She can be rather quiet, I will give you that. But you see, I'm afraid I've installed a bit of a trap back there. One that would be problematic for a human. But rather deadly for a werewolf." He could hear shuffling over the phone. The sound of people moving quickly through the snow.

"Rhododendron is such a fascinating plant. Naturally produces cyanide when burned, and well a little too much of that…."

Emma hung up on him.

How rude. Oh well. They would have to be fools to rush the cabin now.

A loud banging from behind him and suddenly Hook and Snow were inside the cabin. Apparently he had underestimated their blind optimism. Snow he could understand, but honestly, Hook should know better.

The blade at Rick's neck started to draw blood.

"Please, he's crazy, you have to…"

"Now, now Rick. Please remain calm, I don't want to have to re-sew your entire throat back together. The scar would be rather unbecoming. And I would have to find an entirely new specimen to…"

"Put the blade down mate."

"I told you not to come in here. I thought I was rather generous in that regard."

"Whale, listen. You have to trust us. We can help you."

"How gracious of you, your highness. To think you came down from your throne to help a commoner like me." Victor pulled Ricks hair, exposing the man's neck even farther. "Don't you feel honored Rick? That the queen has seen fit to come down and associate with the dregs of society like us."

"Whale what the hell…"

"Why, generally such a privilege is only reserved for those whom are related to her. Tell me your highness, how do you justify it? Regina saved your life, and your life is more important than those of the peasants, so you can forgive any deaths she caused to them?"

"Don't engage him lass, he is trying to…"

"Regina is better…."

"Now? Yes I suppose it has been a few months since she killed anyone. How kind of her. How sweet she is. I mean, she only killed your father, that is easily forgiven."

"She…"

"She manipulated Sydney into doing it but yes. There is no permanent jail in Storybrooke. He was held in the hospital's psych ward. When you arrested him someone had to see to the man's health requirements. And since, under the curse, I was under Regina's influence, she tasked me with the job. Sydney was always so eager to talk about her. So in love with her. Do you think she has ever given it a second thought? Ever regretted it? Or do you think she simply doesn't care, because now she has Henry it was all worth it? Tell me your highness, have you really forgiven her? Can you truly feel comfortable letting her hold Neal, knowing she wouldn't feel anything if she needed to kill him to…"

An arrow whizzed by his head. Victor didn't even flinch. He simply smiled. These people were so easy. The blood on Rick's neck was starting to slide down in rivulets, staining his shirt. He wondered if they could smell it too.

"The next one goes through your eye."

"Oh princess, and here I thought you were here to save me. Killing me would rather defeat the purpose. And what would you say to Ruby? That you killed me because I spoke the truth?"

"You mean the woman you just tried to kill?"

"If I had tried to kill her, she would be dead. I needed you all divided, distracted and…"

"So you deliberately didn't kill her."

Victor raised an eyebrow at Hook's interjection.

"I do believe I just explained that part my dear Captain. Do try to keep up."

Hook lowered his sword.

Victor cast a suspicious glance at the man. Snow had already reloaded her bow.

The damn pirate was smiling now.

"So. Just to be certain, as I am nothing more than a simple pirate, and you are a, how did Henry phrase it? Super genius, capable of wiping out the entire town without breaking a sweat. Yea?"

Victor didn't say anything. Simply watched as Snow lowered her weapon.

What was happening? Why were they doing this?

"So, if the lad is correct and you are that cunning, which I don't doubt. Then you would have had no trouble in killing not only our good friend Rick here, but also the other men who led the initial assault. And you deliberately created a trap for a werewolf, knowing that Ruby would be a part of any hunt for you. A trap that was specifically non-lethal?"

What were they implying? Of course they were non-lethal. He couldn't risk his subjects coming to undue harm and damaging any of their organs.

"I need my subjects in good condition."

"Do you now? From what I've heard you don't usually mess with subjects with a pulse. Why the sudden change in interest?"

"My other experiments were…flawed. I was trying a new tactic. Science is all about discarding what doesn't work and moving in new directions."

"I see. So the only reason you haven't killed anyone is because you need them breathing for your experiments."

"Yes."

Hook picked up one of Victor's notebooks. He flipped through a few pages. Victor knew this was a trap somehow, he just couldn't figure out to what end.

"Which one of these machines were you going to use on Rick?"

"Either the one on the second page or the sixth, depending on his blood type."

"Ah. And which one where you going to use on me? On Henry or Neal? On Ruby?"

Victor hesitated.

He didn't know why. It was ridiculous, the woman was a werewolf. Her blood would contain trans-mutagenic properties that would aid his research in numerous ways. And yet…he couldn't remember writing down any procedures to capitalize on such a discovery.

What a ridiculous…

Victor heard the sound. A small whooshing sound, a sudden pain in his arm. He looked down and saw the small dart. He looked up to see Tinkerbell standing to his left. She must have snuck in while he was distracted by Hook and Snow. That had been their plan, to confuse him, to keep him off balance while she got in position.

"Huh."

Unfortunately for them, he had a rather high tolerance for sedatives. He flung the knife at the fairy and ran for the door. He knew he wouldn't make it very far, but he just had to get ahead of them. Outrunning an angry mob wasn't about speed.

You just had to be willing to do something they wouldn't.

The snow was so high it was difficult to run. They wouldn't have walked the entire way, their vehicles had to be somewhere nearby. He could hear them running after him, yelling for him to stop.

He wouldn't go back there. He refused to end up in another cell, watching the minutes pass by and knowing that he was wasting precious time. Why couldn't they see what he was trying to do?

He just needed to break their line of sight, needed to…

A gust of wind nearly blew Victor over. Suddenly she was in front of him again. The blond woman with the blue hands.

"Please. Don't run. They want to help."

"Why would I listen to you? Didn't you do this to me?"

Elsa looked like she had been slapped. But she recovered quickly, her eyes determined.

"Yes. But that doesn't mean I can't fix it. I can make things right."

Victor laughed.

"Is that what they told you? How did they manage to convince you of that? Did they tell you about what happened to the last misguided witch who tried to go against them? Rumpelstiltskin killed her. I assume you know who Rumpelstiltskin is? The man who locked you away from your family, your friends. He convinced everyone you would kill us if you had the chance, he wouldn't happen to be a part of this little team of theirs would he?"

"Lass, we can…"

Elsa was looking slightly uncertain. Victor had to work quickly. He could feel his arms growing tired. His eyes betraying him.

"They will do anything to convince you that you could be one of them. String you along, make you think you could be better than you are. It is a lie. They will use you and then cast you aside when they are done with you. They don't care about you Elsa, they don't care about me. All they care about is protecting themselves, and they will use whomever they need to achieve that goal. Help me Elsa. Help me get away from these people. They are not your friends. They will abandon you the first chance…"

"They haven't abandoned you."

"They have. They are putting on a show Elsa. Snow tried to shoot me with an arrow in the cabin. Their words are meaningless. In the end they will only do what is right for them. To hell with everyone else."

"They are your friends."

"They keep me from my real friends. They keep me tied to this realm, never letting me return to my own. Never letting me find out if any of my family are still alive. Never letting me return to my true home. I have nothing of my own realm, nothing of my family. They keep me here because they need a doctor. They don't care what I want. Elsa. You must help me. They have lied to you, whatever they have said…"

"I have heard what they have said Doctor. And what you have said. And…and you are not the first person who has ever been afflicted so. I know everything you have said to be false, because I know what the mirror is doing to you. I only hope that we are not too late to help you. From what they have said, you are a good man."

Victor wanted to roll his eyes. This was getting ridiculous. How could these people not see the truth? How could they not see…

Suddenly Victor was being lowered to the ground. Hook's face directly above his own. The sedatives must have kicked in. Victor could have kicked himself, were he still in control of his limbs. He had wasted him trying to appeal to Elsa. He was certain she would have understood. Instead she had just given them the time they needed to stop him.

Next time, he would not be so gentle.

He would have to deal with the inconvenience of a few marred subjects.

"We got you mate, don't worry. We got you."

Next time….

When he awoke, he was back in the hospital. Only this time it was the familiar glow of a regular room. No padded walls to keep him in. That seemed rather careless of them. He looked down. He was strapped to the bed. His hands were covered in bandages so thick they looked almost comical. Had he hurt his hands somehow?

"They're just a precaution. In case you tried to steal another knife or something."

The werewolf was sitting in a wheelchair beside his bed. She was very pale, her hair matted down. Apparently she was still suffering the after effects of the cyanide poisoning.

"I see. Tell me, how long do you think you can keep me tied up like this?"

A ghost of a smile played across her lips. No doubt thinking of an inappropriate response. But then her smile fell.

"Not long."

"I will find a way out you know."

"Yea. We know."

"Then you realize that your actions are pointless. Why persist? Why not simply let me continue my work…"

"Because, when we do save you, and we will Victor, we are going to make damn sure you haven't done anything you will regret."

"Regret? You think I would regret pushing the boundaries of science? Of making new discoveries? You clearly have me mistaken my dear. Let me go now or I assure you, when I get out of these chains, and I will Ruby, I will kill every person I come across during my escape."

He was tired of having to explain things to these simpletons. Tired of trying to reason with them. Clearly they were beyond reason, they let their hearts rule them. He could no longer hope that they would see his way of things. It would appear that he had not gone far enough.

He would simply have to go further. He could kill everyone in this town, and then bring back those he thought would be most manageable. Most able to understand the greatness he had achieved.

Ruby smiled down at him. She was placating him, trying to make him think she understood. It is what she had done from the beginning. And to think he had almost fallen for it. He could see her for what she was now.

Just another obstacle trying to keep him from greatness.

She brushed a hair off of his forehead. A gesture he was certain she thought would convey caring. Concern.

Affection.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Her hand stilled. Her smile less genuine.

"You wouldn't have."

"No. But I will now."

"Elsa said there wasn't much time left."

Victor just stared at the brown haired woman. Waiting for her empathy to overtake her and make her reveal information he could potentially use.

"Then perhaps you should listen to her. And let me be."

"Victor…"

"And what if you are too late? What if Elsa comes back in here and says that I am too far gone? What then? Do you honestly believe that they will let me live? They will kill me Ruby, they will kill me and tell themselves that they have done the right thing, that they have protected those they loved. How long Ruby? How long do you think it will be before they start to wonder if there are any other monsters they should put down."

"They won't…"

"Fine. Then Rumpelstiltskin will, or Regina. Honestly, Ruby, why do you think that the perfect royal couple keeps those two murderers around? So that they will do the dirty work and Prince Charming and Snow White don't have to get their precious hands bloody."

All he needed was for her to think about it. To consider the possibility he could be correct. He could use her isolation and her past against her. Show her there was no room for people like them amongst…

The door to the room swung open and Gold stepped in.

"Elsa says it's time. Snow wants you to come help prepare."

"Ok."

Ruby stood to leave.

"If you leave me alone with him, he will kill me."

Gold wasn't an idiot. He knew exactly how dangerous of an enemy Victor could be. If Gold was smart, he would kill Victor and blame it on the still unrevealed ice assassin.

Ruby hesitated at the door. Then she turned and whispered something to Gold. The wizard looked amused. Then she was gone.

"Everyone's so concerned about you Doctor. It's all very touching."

There was an edge to Gold's voice. Something Victor couldn't quite…ah.

"Belle ask for a divorce?"

Gold stilled.

"Of course not."

"But she isn't happy. How could she be? You lied to her about Elsa, about Zelena."

"I told the truth about Elsa…"

"You told your version of it. You told her what you had convinced yourself had happened so that you could still tell yourself you were the good guy. I know so many dark things about you Mr. Gold. So many things you think you can keep hidden. I am going to tell Belle every dark and dirty secret."

"You don't…"

"Does she know you killed Gaston? Her friend who came to rescue her?"

"How could you…"

"I spent some time with Jefferson. He loved to tell stories. Always knew the best rumors. I am going to make sure she sees you for what you really are. Make sure she never forgives you…"

Gold's hand was on Victor's throat. Typical. The man had unlimited power and he still reacted with physical violence. His need to prove himself a man without his magic was exactly what Victor was counting on.

"I'm not going to let a pathetic little insect like you ruin…"

Victor smiled at the enraged man. His eyes darting to the door. Belle was standing there, her hands on an odd dagger.

"I…I tried to call you. Tried to summon you. It didn't work." There were tears in her eyes. This was going to be easier than he had thought. These peoples lives were so fragile, so built on lies, that it wouldn't take much for him to turn them against one another. A few tugs of the string and the whole thing would unravel. He wasn't sure why none of the previous villains had been successful. All they had to do was sit back and let these people destroy one another.

"Belle, I can explain…."

"Of course you can Rumple, you always can. I…I'm such an idiot. Were you ever going to be able to love me, more than your power?"

Rumpelstiltskin hesitated. Belle ran from the room. The foolish man actually ran after her. Leaving Victor all alone.

When Gold had reached in to choke Victor, he had managed to get one of his bandaged hands to the man's belt buckle. That small little catch, and soon Victor was unwrapping his hands. The handcuffs were quickly discarded. He stood from his bed and looked out the window. The snow made it impossible to see. The frost completely obscuring any sign of daylight.

Victor knew he had little time before anyone else came into the room. The windows were frozen shut, so he was going to have to venture out into the hall. It would appear he was going to have to do this the hard way. He searched the room quickly. There was little he could use. They had cleared out all of the equipment. Any spare wires or loose needles were conspicuously absent. They didn't seem to realize that in his hands, anything could be a weapon.

He cast a quick glance out into the hallway, the handcuffs now held in his hands like daggers. Even a dull metal edge could be used like a knife if the correct pressure was applied. He heard footsteps coming, one lighter than the other. A quick glance confirmed his suspicions.

Archie and Henry.

They must be coming from visiting Regina. Archie was the larger target, would provide more cover against any attacks. But Henry was a child. And people always hesitated when a child was involved. They would be emotionally compromised, and he would be able to use that to aid in his escape.

Victor moved quickly. He slammed Archie's head into the wall, then grabbed Henry by the arm. He put the edge of the opened cuff to Henry's jugular.

"Dr. Whale. You don't have to do this, we can help you."

"I don't need help. All I asked was to be left alone. Your parents are to blame for what happens next. But I suppose you are used to that by now."

He pushed Henry in front of him. The boy kept up his senseless babbling, continuously trying to convince Victor he needed help. Victor paid little attention, his eyes focused on what was ahead of him. They hadn't seen him yet, the little group of heroes. Ruby turned first. The others quickly followed, they all pulled their weapons. He was about to tell them to lay down their guns and swords, when Henry beat him to it.

"Don't shoot. He won't hurt me. It's ok."

"Henry…"

Emma and David had their guns out and pointed at them. Victor felt calm. They wouldn't kill him, not with Henry in danger. He could taste his freedom.

"I would listen to the boy if I were you. I have this placed directly on his jugular, he would bleed out before you even had the chance to take me down."

David lowered his weapon first. Emma kept hers firmly pointed at him.

"Mom…"

Some sort of silent communication passed between the two, and Emma lowered her weapon.

"Let's be clear Whale, there is no way in hell you are leaving this hospital with my son."

"I told you to let me be, anything that happens from the moment you decided to intrude upon my solitude is of your doing. I will not regret the actions I have been forced to take."

"Doctor, you must listen to me." Elsa stepped forward. Apparently she was a part of this ridiculous band of fools now. "There isn't much time now. I can undo the ice around your heart, but only you can stop the mirror's power."

"I see. Is this the point where you tell me the answer is love? Because to be honest, I'm beginning to think that is how you people solve all of your problems."

"No. Love can influence your decision but it is not what can release the mirror's hold."

This Elsa was going to fit in with the others nicely. Such flowery speeches. They would amount to nothing.

"Then what pray tell is? Because you really are beginning to try my patience. And Henry will be the one who suffers for it."

"Something even more delicate than love. Trust."

Victor would have laughed if he wasn't so annoyed.

"Trust? That's your big reveal?" Victor turned his eyes towards Emma. "This was your plan to fix me? Honestly I am…disappointed."

Elsa continued to speak.

"Yes Doctor, trust. You have to believe, truly believe, that these people want to help you. That you aren't alone, that no one wants to hurt you. You have to be able to overcome your fear. It isn't something I can do for you, you have to…"

He felt the charge in the air. The crackle of magic. Victor tightened his grip on Henry. The boy flinched in pain.

"Regina. How nice of you to join us."

Regina stood directly behind Victor, Archie only a few steps behind her. Even bandaged and in a hospital gown, the woman looked intimidating.

"Regina…"

"Mom, don't…"

"Let go of my son. Now."

Victor smiled.

"Of course Regina, we wouldn't want anything to happen to him now would we? After all if he were to" Victor increased the pressure on Henry's neck "suddenly die here in front of you, where would that leave you? And that's what this is all about isn't it? Not Henry. You. You see Henry, your mother doesn't care about anything except her own happiness. It doesn't matter who she has to kill, torture, maim, or destroy. As long as she is happy. And at the moment, she derives her happiness from you. But what happens I wonder, what happens if you disappoint her? If you decide to leave Storybrooke? Who is she then?"

Victor was no fool. He remembered what his past self had said to Regina. He had all but written it down that he wanted her to kill him if he got out of control. Which was ridiculous, he wasn't out of control. Victor had never been more in control in his life. He knew he would only get out of this if Henry could convince Regina to let him live. The boy was just as foolish and sentimental as his grandparents. Victor loosened his grip on the boy's throat slightly.

Regina produced a fireball in her hands.

"Mom, please don't."

"You don't understand Henry. This is what needs to be done."

"No it isn't. There's still time."

"Henry. He asked me to do this. He didn't want to hurt anyone, I know you think I'm being cruel, but I'm not. This is a kindness."

"Mom. You were given a second chance. More than one. Even when everyone thought you were beyond hope, you were still given a chance. Please. Please just give him a chance to beat this. I know he can."

"Henry…"

She was actually listening to Henry. He couldn't believe the sentimentality of these people. Even their so called villains were guilty of it. The fireball in her hand dissipated.

"He gets two minutes, then I light him up like the Fourth of July."

"How kind your highness." He shouldn't antagonize the queen. It wasn't logical. He had no time for such petty victories, not when there were more important victories to be won. "I believe we will be going now."

"Dr. Whale. You heard what Elsa said. You have to trust us, I know it's hard. I know you think you aren't one of us, but you are."

Henry was moving with Victor's movements. The boy wasn't even trying to fight him. This was ridiculous, what was the boy trying to prove?

"The lad is right. Believe me, I know what it is to feel on the outside. To feel as though the sins of your past will never loosen their grip. We think those sins separate us from the heroes, but they don't. We all have them, it just depends of whether or not we are willing to fight them. You strike me as the type of man willing to fight."

"Killian's right. Whale, I know you and me haven't had the best relationship in the past."

"You punched me in the face for sleeping with your wife."

"Yea…but, we've moved past that. We trust you Whale. Hell, you delivered my son. Do you think I would have let you anywhere near my wife and child if I didn't trust you?"

"I'm the only…"

"Enough with that 'I'm the only doctor in town' excuse. Hell Doc delivered Emma, we could have easily had him deliver Neal."

"That dwarf has absolutely no medical training."

"Exactly!"

Victor wasn't sure David had made the point he was trying to make. But the prince was smiling like he had. Ruby had remained relatively silent throughout this entire ordeal. He felt something akin to…fear when she stepped towards him. She couldn't attack him with Henry in the way, and she was still weak from their last encounter. He had no reason to feel as he did. Every instinct was telling him to run, to just push the boy away and go. His entire life he had listened to that voice in his mind, the one that told him to run, told him that someone was trying to kill him, that he had to constantly be on guard. Why wasn't he listening to it now?

"Victor. I know…I know there isn't anything I can say that you won't be able to counter. You probably already have them all prepared, your mind working out every possible scenario. There is no way that I, or anyone in this room, could convince you of anything, because you are probably smarter than all of us put together. So…so I just want you to know that…whatever you decide to do, I trust you."

"That's it?"

"Yea. That's it."

Victor felt almost disappointed. So she trusted him? That was going to magically cause him to rethink everything? Going to make him give up all of his obsessions, all of his pursuits?

It wasn't even the first time she had said it to him. So it wasn't a grand reveal, it wasn't a declaration of love, it was little more than her repeating a speech she had already given him once before. She had told him she trusted him in the diner only a few weeks ago.

Of course, she had said it to a different man. A fool who let people like her influence his actions. A man who hadn't dedicated himself to his research, who had let himself be distracted by the presence of others. He wasn't that man anymore. He was the man he was always supposed to be. Clinical. Detached. Emotionless.

Even Gerhardt hadn't trusted Victor when he got like this. The fool had followed him to the cemetery that night because he hadn't trusted his own brother. Why would she trust him where his own brother hadn't?

They were all still staring at him. He realized he was no longer heading towards the door. This was absurd. These people couldn't possibly hope to understand him. They had no frame of reference for what his world was like, what it took to survive there. They were basing their opinions on incomplete data. How could they make such statements when they knew so little of him?

"You would trust me, even if I killed Henry?"

"You aren't going to kill Henry."

"You seem rather certain. On what data do you base this hypothesis?"

"Your hands are shaking."

Victor's eyes quickly darted to his hands. The werewolf was right. His traitorous right hand was shaking. At some point he had moved the cuff from Henry's neck as well. It was several inches from his skin now. He must have subconsciously moved them so as not to accidentally hurt the boy.

"I…You know nothing about me. You don't know who I truly am."

"Yes we do Victor. We all see it. We can all see the good man, you are the only one who seems oblivious."

Good. A ridiculous concept in the field of science. There was no good or evil in the laboratory. Only progress or failure. Only the truth.

Why wouldn't his damn hands stop shaking?

Somehow Henry managed to extradite himself from Victor's grip. But the boy made no move to get away. He stood well within Victor's reach. All he would have to do is stretch out his hands and the boy would be his hostage again.

Victor's hands remained lowered.

"Dr. Whale. I know you believe us. Please. Just trust us."

Henry extended his hand. The others were moving closer. Victor's instincts were screaming at him. Telling him they were moving in closer so they could attack. That they were trying to surround him. They would grab him and string him from a tree. They were going to kill him, he needed to act quickly. Kill the boy and run. Kill the boy and run.

The screaming in his head was accompanied by a sharp pain in his chest. Victor almost doubled over.

"Whale…"

"The freezing is almost complete, there is no more time."

The next wave of pain sent Victor to his knees. He felt Henry be pulled away, heard the boy's protests. There were hands on either side of his face. Ruby most likely, his eyes were closed. He could hear Emma yelling at Elsa.

"Unfreeze his damn heart. Now!"

"If he doesn't break the shards then removing the ice will do nothing for him."

"Well it can't make him any worse!"

"Victor open your eyes." Her voice was so calm, so commanding. His eyes opened by a fraction.

"Ruby…"

"It's ok. Everything's going to be ok. Please Victor…trust us. We want to help you. We…we care about you."

It was a trap. It had to be. There had to be some factor he was missing. Some reason they were so intent on saving him. They must need him for…

_"Did you ever wonder why I didn't kill you that night we met?_

_"I assumed it was because you needed me for something. And you did try. More than once."_

_Vladimir laughed. Victor could never really explain the sound to anyone. Not that anyone had ever asked what Vladimir's laugh sounded like._

_"I try to kill everyone I meet, I find it rather breaks the ice."_

_"I suppose it does give a person a good story to take home."_

_"I mean it Victor. You were on the opposite side of a war I have been fighting since before the rise of your species. You were a medic, giving aid to my enemies. Killing you would have meant preventing the survival of countless others. And yet now here we sit, drinking wine in my hall. Not something I assumed would ever happen with one of your kind."_

_"How kind of you, to allow a dredge like me…"_

_"Do not be an idiot Victor, you know what I meant. But you still haven't answered my question. Why didn't I kill you?"_

_Victor had never really asked himself that. He knew how lucky he had been to survive the war at all, let alone survive an encounter with the leader of the opposing army. Vladimir had asked Victor to tend to some of his injured soldiers and Victor had done his job._

_"Because you felt obligated to let me live after I saved the lives of your comrades?"_

_Vladimir gave Victor a small smile._

_"No my friend. Because you are the only human who ever treated my men. I asked every medic we came across for help. Only you were willing to come to our aid."_

_"I'm a doctor."_

_"One day my friend, someone is going to be able to get through that thick skull of yours and convince you that you are not your profession. Helping those in need is not simply your job, it is your personality. I only hope that I am there to meet whomever is able to finally get through to you. They will have to be made of steel to put up with your stubbornness."_

_"How is it possible you always manage to compliment and insult me in the same breath?"_

_"That is what friends are for. I believe. I am slightly unfamiliar with the concept myself."_

Victor hadn't thought about that conversation in years. Just another speech his enigmatic friend had given him during one of their long talks. Why it chose this moment to come to the forefront of his mind he wasn't sure. Vladimir was hardly the best judge of character, the man had little frame of reference for what humans considered good or evil. He…he couldn't do this.

"I can't…"

They were surrounding him, so close he should feel imprisoned by them. Contained. Trapped. There was a hand on his shoulder, another on his back. Ruby's hands still held his head aloft.

"Try Victor. Please."

He should feel like he was suffocating. He never liked it when people got this close. The need for physical contact was a dependency for weaker minds. For lesser beings. He should be pushing them away.

He shouldn't want them to get closer.

He shouldn't need them.

He shouldn't trust them.

But he did.

Something pulsed inside his chest. The pain dulled, everything dulled in fact. It was so cold in here.

"He broke the mirror's hold. Move quickly please, I have to unfreeze the ice or he will die."

He couldn't feel his fingers. Or his hands. Any of this extremities really.

"Hold still Doctor."

Was he moving? He couldn't tell.

"Everything's going to be alright."

He wanted to say something, though he didn't know what it was. It was important, he was sure of it. He just couldn't remember why.

Victor drifted off, comfortably numb.

 

Chapter 6

Emma saw it in his eyes. The moment Whale was able to break the mirror's hold on his heart. Of course, the pulse of magic was a pretty clear indicator too. The next few minutes passed quickly, Elsa removing the black bruise from Whale's chest, a slew of nurses and doctors rushing in, spouting off words Emma recognized but didn't quite understand. Ruby followed the doctor out of the room. Regina, with the aid of Henry, was taken back to her room to finish her recovery.

"I can't believe that actually worked."

Killian was smiling. She didn't know when the pirate and the doctor had become friends, but it was clear that Killian had been nervous throughout the entire standoff.

"I thought you said you had no doubts he would be able to overcome it."

"I don't recall saying that." Killian scratched behind his ear. She was beginning to pick up on his tells.

"Back in the woods, when we finally found Elsa." Emma remembered how relieved she had been. It had taken far longer than she would have liked. Days spent in freezing cold, searching for any sign. Yelling until her throat was sore, asking Elsa to please help them.

In the end, it had been nothing short of pure luck they had come upon her. They had been following the Hoffenträumen's foot prints, trying to make sure nothing had happened to the creature, and there Elsa was. Staring straight at the eight foot tall creature with hundreds of sharp teeth. Staring not in fear, but in wonder. Emma had known then and there that her gut had been right. This woman was not an enemy.

Snow and Emma had tried to approach slowly, hands up. Elsa had seen them and started to move as if to run away.

"Please. Don't run. We need your help."

"I can't help anyone. I don't know why the snow is acting this way. I can't unfreeze your town…"

"It's not the town we need help with. I mean yea I wouldn't say no to a little bit of a temperature increase, but that's not why we need you. You spoke to a man a few days ago, a blond man? Do you remember him?"

Elsa seemed to shrink into herself.

"Oh no…no no no. Please, tell me I didn't…tell me he hasn't been infected by the mirror's evil."

"Yea. Well…look we know it isn't your fault. We just need you to come and help us unfreeze his heart."

"You don't understand it's not.."

"That simple? Yea, everyone keeps saying it's impossible. Well guess what, we deal with impossible every day, and we keep kicking it's ass. So are you going to help us save him or are you going to spend the rest of your life alone in the mountains?"

"You…you mean…"

Snow stepped forward.

"We know you didn't mean to hurt him. We know you want to do the right thing. Please Elsa, he's a good man."

"I…when I spoke to him…he implied that he was a monster. If such a man has the mirror in his heart then…"

"He's not a monster, just an idiot." Emma was going to slap some sense into the doctor when this was all over. She got the feeling she wasn't the only one.

"I see…It is a great risk for me to come into town. I only came before because I thought I might find help. I have never seen the snow act the way it does here. I can barely keep my magic contained. I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"You won't hurt anyone. Thing you're going to have to learn about us, is we don't let our friends go that easy. Hell we don't even let our enemies go that easy. If you come with us, if you help us, then I swear we will find out why your magic is going haywire. We have some pretty powerful people on our side."

"My magic never acted this way in Arendelle. It must have something to do with the wizard that trapped me in that magical vase."

"Yea…we will try to figure it out, we promise."

Emma decided they would leave out any mention of Rumpelstiltskin until Whale was safely back in hand.

She had called the others right away. With Elsa's help it hadn't taken long to find where Whale was hiding. They had come up with a quick plan and soon they were upon Gold's cabin. She remembered how calm Whale had been when he had called her on the phone, how reasonable his voice had sounded. How quickly he had managed to turn everything against them. But mostly she remembered the words he had spoken to Elsa. She had been riding back to town in the truck with David, when she finally decided to say what had been bothering her.

"Do you think he really feels that way?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like…like we have him trapped here. I mean, you guys did pull him here with the second curse and he's not even from the Enchanted Forest. Do you think, even when he's not all crazy, that he wants to go back to his own realm? Should we have tried to send him back? I mean he's the only one here who really doesn't have any past connection to anyone except Regina. And that's not really a healthy relationship to have."

"He knew Jefferson I think."

"You think? See, that's my point. The guy is one of us and we don't know anything about him, we don't even know if he wants to be one of us. Or if he just thinks of us as his captors."

"Emma, it was this mirror's curse making him say these things."

"You really believe that?"

David didn't say anything else. She wondered if he was as troubled by the idea that a man they trusted might actually feel like a prisoner, as she was. The rest of the car ride had been silent.

After all commotion died down and the hospital was cleared, they all met up at Granny's. Why the restaurant was their meeting place, Emma wasn't really sure. Everyone was there, save Regina and Gold. No one really knew where Gold and Belle had run off to. Their marital troubles were hardly her biggest concern.

"So it's done then? He's going to be ok."

The fact that Elsa hesitated did not fill Emma with any sense of relief.

"Physically he will recover yes."

"What do you mean physically? Is he ok or isn't he?" Granny had been bustling about, making everyone coffee and sandwiches.

"I have seen only a handful of those who are infected by the power of the mirror overcome their darkness. And those that do overcome it…they can sometimes find it difficult to reconcile their actions whilst under its influence. They may start to believe that they themselves did these things of their own free will."

"That's ridiculous. Anyone with a brain would be able to see that the doctor was not in his own mind. We all saw how different he was." Killian gestured around the room. "No one could believe…"

"It is often those closest to the power that cannot see the truth. The doctor might start to believe that he should have been able to fight against it, should have been able to stop himself. I have seen a few men driven mad by these thoughts."

"Well that's spectacular." Emma had thought the worst of it was over for Whale. Apparently the doctor had more dark days ahead.

Granny interjected herself into the conversation.

"Are you sure we should be trusting her? I mean she did try to kill Whale."

"I did not intend to cause the doctor any harm, the mirror…"

"I ain't talking about the mirror, I'm talking about the dagger you threw at him. You know, the one made of solid ice?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Sure. So there is another person who can conjure up snow and ice just running around?"

"I don't…it can't be."

Emma did not like the sound of that.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like whatever you just thought of."

"Back in Arendelle, I came upon a man in the mountains. Or at least I thought he was a man. He could do many of the things I could. In fact, he seemed very fascinated by me and my powers. He would constantly ask me questions, and often times we would…have a contest of sorts. They were nothing more than harmless games."

"I'm guessing these games became something more?" David and Mary-Margaret had been sitting at the counter, listening to Elsa's story. Hook and Henry were at a nearby booth. David had been skeptical of Elsa's motives at first. But even he was being swayed by her earnest demeanor. Ruby was the only one still looking at Elsa with suspicious eyes. Emma was simply glad the werewolf was managing to keep herself in check.

"I do not know what happened. One day we were friends, the next he was cursing my name. Saying I was not worthy of my powers. Not long after that, my magic bonded with that of the mirror, and I was forced into exile. He seemed to think my exile was a happy event. He was always smiling after that, even when he would get angry."

"Do you remember his name?"

"Of course, I believe he went by the name Jack Frost."

Emma sighed.

"I don't even know why I am surprised by these things anymore."

"Do you know him?"

"Let's just say I've heard stories. So you think this guy is dangerous?"

"I would not have thought so, but after the way he acted during our final meeting…I believe he can be. I do not think he realizes how much damage he causes. And if he does…then I think he simply does not care. Most things are a game to him."

"What is it with immature villains and games? Ok, so how do we find this Jack Frost guy? Do we know what he wants or why he is in Storybrooke? Why would he have any reason to kill Whale?"

"I'm afraid I do not know how to answer any of your questions. Jack and I were friends but he never shared anything with me. He would ask me all manner of questions about myself, my kingdom, and my family, but he would never answer any about himself."

Emma could feel herself getting frustrated already. It was never-ending with this town. The moment one fire was put out, six more popped up.

"So, just to be clear. Even though we found Whale and broke the mirror's hold on him, he could still go insane. And even though we found you and you are managing to keep your magic under control, it doesn't matter because we have another guy out there who is worse. That about it?"

"Yes, once I realized that it was not my magic that was influencing the weather here, I was able to gain control of my power again. I do not know why I could not notice this outside power before. I am truly sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

Snow put her hand on Elsa's shoulder.

"Hey, it's ok. We believe you. Everything is going to work out. We will find this Jack, ask him to stop and then we will find a way to send you back to your family. You'll see."

Emma wished she had been born with her mother's blind optimism.

"Too right lass, what about this vase that held you captive? Should we find this new miscreant and be able to subdue him, would it be possible to trap him inside?"

"I don't know. I do not know the properties of the vase. Rumpelstiltskin trapped me inside of it, you would have to ask him." Elsa still wasn't used to the idea that Rumpelstiltskin was on their side. Hell, half the time Emma couldn't believe it either. She didn't want to know what Belle and Gold were fighting about, she just hoped it wouldn't interfere with capturing Jack.

"Yea, let's hope he's in a receptive mood. In the meantime, let's see if we can't figure out at least what Jack Frost wants in Storybrooke. Maybe we could get lucky and he will want to leave. I mean we are bound to get lucky at some point right?"

Emma didn't like the fact that no one responded.

His eyelids were heavy. Strangely heavy. Almost like they were taped down. Which was an odd thought. Where was he? Why were his eyelids taped shut? He tried to open them again, this time a sliver of light penetrated. So not taped then. He felt like he was cocooned in pure warmth. His mind quickly made the connection. A heated blanket. The beeping of a heart monitor. He was in the hospital. He was a little disgruntled it had taken him that long to figure it out.

Why was he so groggy? It was like a fog was hovering over his thoughts, keeping him from remembering something.

"Look who's awake. How are you feeling on this fine morning Doctor?"

Robin was sitting beside Victor's bed. The man's entire left arm seemed to be strapped to his chest. And it was in a sling.

"You're hurt?"

Victor's mind was fuzzy. He remembered hearing Robin scream in pain. Had he been there when the man was injured?

"Yes, although I must say I have had far worse. This is but a minor inconvenience. Truly, although it does make getting dressed rather interesting."

There was the vaguest outline of a memory trying to move forward through the fog.

"Was there…a fire?"

"Now now Doctor, it is not the time for so many questions. You need to rest. You've been through quite the ordeal."

"Are others hurt? Should I…" Victor tried to move, tried to sit up. His limbs felt so heavy, like blocks of ice. A small shift of the blanket sent a chill through his body. Why was it so cold in here?

Robin stood quickly and replaced the blanket.

"They said your mind might be a bit hazy at first, but you should be back to your old self in no time. Here you have the perfect excuse to lay about in bed for a few days."

Something wasn't right. Robin was…lying to him. Or hiding something. Something important.

"What happened?"

"Really Doctor, I must insist you calm yourself. Or I will be forced to call that rather severe looking nurse to…"

Victor reached up and grabbed Robin's good arm. He only wanted the man to stay still for a moment. To answer a few questions. But the moment Victor's hand touched the thief's arm, a memory flashed through Victor's mind. A smoke filled hallway, Regina laying on the ground covered in blood. And the sound of Robin's elbow as it dislocated under Victor's hand.

Oh god.

What had he done?

Victor retracted his hand as if burned. Robin's eyes quickly grew concerned. Why was he looking at Victor like that? Why would the man be concerned after… Victor's breathing was coming in short gasps. He could clearly diagnose the symptoms of a panic attack, but the information did little to help stop it.

"Doctor. Doctor please, you must remain calm. Nurse! I require assistance!"

Victor turned his head away quickly. Robin seemed to get the message and instantly there was a waste bin under Victor's head. He wasn't sure how long he threw up into it, or how long Robin tried to comfort the very man who had injured him so grievously.

He felt the familiar prick of a needle in his arm and quickly succumbed to a drug induced sleep again.

It was dark when he woke next. Archie was sitting in the chair this time. Victor tried to see the man's head injury. Tried to determine how badly he had wounded the therapist. Victor averted his gaze when Archie looked up at him. Would he forever wake up to find himself confronted by those he had attacked?

"Dr. Whale, how are you feeling?"

"Like I got punched in the chest by Hyde on one of his benders."

"Who?"

"Never mind. What are you doing here?"

He knew what Archie was doing here. Knew they would have to keep a close eye on him.

"After your last reaction, it was decided that it would be a good idea for you to talk to someone about what you went through."

"What I went through? I'm not the one with a broken arm, severe burns, cyanide poisoning, or a concussion. How's the head Dr. Hopper?"

"It will heal. It was more a shock than any real pain. And yes Victor, you can deflect all you want, but you went through a traumatic experience and you need to discuss it."

Or he could lock it away in his mind and never think on it again. Which would be completely impossible, every person in this town would be a constant reminder. This very hospital, his hospital, was marred by what he had done. What he had tried to do.

Still, he could always give it a try.

"Do…do we have to talk about it now?" Victor put a hand over his eyes, he was still very tired. That was a legitimate excuse.

"No. Of course not. You need time to rest, but when you feel up for it. You know we will be here for you." Archie put a hand on Victor's shoulder, Victor peeked out from under his fingers to look at the man. There wasn't even a bandage on the therapist's head. Of all the people Victor had attacked, Archie seemed to be the less scathed. Perhaps that was why he was here, the others…

No. No, he couldn't do that again. He couldn't keep giving into his paranoia. They trusted him. They saved him. He could at least try to trust them. He had to believe that it hadn't all just been a ruse meant to stop him.

Archie moved to sit down.

"Dr. Hopper. In Gold's cabin…there were some notebooks. Could you…could you have someone collect them, and then have them burnt?"

"All of them?"

"Yes. All of them."

"Of course Dr. Whale. I'll let someone know."

Archie slipped out into the hall and Victor found himself alone. He didn't know how many more well-wishers he could handle. How many looks of concern he could stomach. Burning the books would do little, he would always remember the things he had written down, the ideas he had contemplated. The experiments he had wanted to try on the very people who had tried to save him.

How could they possibly trust someone like him?

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It was a difficult night, every time he awoke from his nightmares there was someone sitting in the chair opposite his bed. Someone he had hurt. He was certain there were guards outside the door again. The next morning he was exhausted, but determined. He couldn't stay here. He couldn't get any rest surrounded by all these reminders. It was Robin again in the chair, his own injuries preventing him from aiding the others in…

Where were the others?

"Where is everyone?"

"Doctor, you are awake." Robin looked hesitant. No doubt afraid to set Victor off again. It was an odd look on the normally confident man.

"Yea…My mind's a little clearer now. I promise I won't throw up on you."

"Well that is a relief." Robin smiled and handed Victor a cup of water.

"Thank you. Where is everyone?"

"Ah well, apparently our dear Elsa is not the only ice conjurer. She believes that a…man or creature has followed her here. She said she had encountered him before but that he had never been cruel, unless he was denied something he wanted."

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

"He goes by the name Jack Frost. We believe he is the one who threw that dagger at you. And the one who caused the power to go out…"

"Aiding in my escape? Ok, so why does…god really, why does Jack Frost want to kill but also help me?"

"We aren't entirely certain. Elsa thinks you did something that ruined one of his tricks or games, and so he was reacting to that."

"By trying to murder me or have someone else do it? That does sound like my luck. I take it to mean that the snow outside hasn't stopped then?"

"Alas, no. Elsa said she couldn't unfreeze the town, not when Jack was attempting to control the winter as well. Every time she would remove one pile of snow, another even larger one would replace it. Now they are out searching for this Jack character in hopes that they can reason with him."

Victor didn't have high hopes for that conversation.

"Do you think you could get a nurse to bring me something to eat?"

"Of course, I will grab you something myself. Any particular sustenance you would prefer? I find myself quite partial to the 'mac and cheese'."

"Surprise me."

"Of course, I will return momentarily."

Victor waited until Robin left the room, then stood quickly. He found his pants and shirt in the closet and quickly dressed. He was putting on his shoes when a nurse entered.

"Doctor? What are you doing?"

"I am checking myself out."

"You can't…"

"I'm quite alright, you see it's…" He took a step towards the door. The nurse took a step backwards. Victor was confused only for a moment.

She was afraid.

She was afraid of him.

Victor's words died in his mouth. He…he had to have known that word would get out. That people would know what he had done. But for his own staff to be afraid of him…

"You…you are supposed to stay in bed."

"You can't keep me here. I wish to finish my recovery at home. Tell the others that is where I have gone. Thank you nurse." He rushed through the words, then quickly walked out of the room. He made it to the elevator, and leaned back against the wall. If the people he worked with were afraid of him, what would the general population think? Sure he had the support of the Charmings and everyone he might consider a friend, but that was maybe a handful of people. There were thousands of people in Storybrooke. Thousands of people who wouldn't be so understanding. Who wouldn't trust him ever again.

Sure they let Regina stay, they let her continue to live amongst them. But she wasn't mayor anymore. They didn't trust her to do her job, then they wouldn't trust him to…

The elevator doors opened. He half expected David or Ruby to be standing there, ready to drag him back to his bed. But the hall was surprisingly empty. He walked quickly, avoiding eye contact with any of the other nurses or doctors. He couldn't bear to see the fear in their eyes as well.

He had barely opened the door to his apartment when he heard his phone start to ring. He picked up the receiver.

"So you checked yourself out of the hospital then?"

"Yea."

Ruby let out a little sigh.

"I'm a little surprised it took you this long to be honest. Robin's a little peeved."

"Lying is hardly the worst thing I've done to him."

There was an awkward beat of silence. Something he wasn't used to when he spoke with Ruby.

"Victor…" He could hear the reprimand in her voice. No doubt she had an entire speech prepared about how it wasn't him, how he wasn't responsible. Words he was in no mood to listen to just yet. If he ever would be.

"I know. I'm…I'm just tired. I'll get more sleep here than at the hospital."

Which was a lie. He doubted he would ever get much sleep again.

"Ok, we are out looking for Jack Frost right now. Which is going to be a pain, we had so little luck finding Elsa, doubt we will have much more finding a guy we didn't even know existed til yesterday. I'll stop by afterwards to check on you."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to do it Victor. Ok? I'll see you later."

"Ruby."

"Yea?"

"She was afraid of me. This nurse at the hospital whose name I don't even think I ever learned. She…she was afraid of me."

"We will talk when I get there Victor, I promise. Just try to get some sleep, ok?"

"All right."

"See you later Victor."

"Goodbye."

He laid down on his bed. Not even attempting to remove his clothes or shoes. Here there were no noises to distract him, no comforting beeping of the heart monitors or the sounds of nurses moving in and out of the room. Just his mind and the silence.

He didn't lie there for more than thirty minutes before it became too much. He picked up a phone and dialed another number.

"Hello?"

"Jefferson."

"Vic? What time is it?"

Victor glanced at his clock.

"Ten thirty in the morning."

"Why you calling me so early?"

"I…I was wondering if I could stay with you for a few days."

"There a group of townsfolk outside your door with pitchforks?"

"No. Where would you even buy pitchforks in Storybrooke?"

"I don't know Vic, general store probably. So you need somewhere to hide out until people forget you are who you are?"

"That would be appreciated."

"You cleared this with the powers that be? Because I don't want Prince Charming knocking down my door saying I kidnapped you."

Victor hesitated.

"Vic…"

"I will tell them."

"All right. Come on down then. I'll make up your room and lock up my liquor cabinet."

Jefferson hung up. The man never did take to saying goodbye. Or to any type of proper etiquette. Used to drive Victor insane.

The two of them were more acquaintances than friends. But Jefferson owed Victor a favor and Victor needed to get out of this apartment, out of this town for awhile. And Jefferson's place was as far out as he could get at the moment.

He found his cell phone and wallet sitting on the dining room table. Someone must have brought his things back here. He sent Ruby a quick text telling her the situation. People assumed that he and Jefferson were friends because they had traveled together a few times. He was hoping they would think he just wanted to be around someone he knew, someone more familiar with Victor's past. Jefferson knew little more than the rest of them. He would be less likely to ask Victor questions, less likely to interfere.

Ruby texted back saying that she understood. And to be careful. Technically he wasn't lying to them about why he was going to Jefferson's.

Technically.

The trip to Jefferson's took three times as long as it normally did. The snow and ice coating every inch. Victor would have seriously considered walking if it hadn't been so cold out.

He just needed to be alone for a while. Away from any memories of what he had done. Just for a few days, then he would be able to sort it all out. He knew he was falling back on old habits, knew he was just running away from what he had done. But…he just needed a little time. A little time to sort through and analyze his actions. That was all he needed. To look at his actions objectively. To figure out what he could have done differently, to figure out how he could have prevented it. And whether he could prevent such actions from ever occurring again. That was all he needed.

Just a little more time to be alone.

 

Chapter 7

Almost two weeks at Jefferson's and the snow never abated. He kept in regular contact with Ruby, calling or texting her every day. David and Emma had called several times. Killian even called once, despite his aversion to cell phones. Each told him the same thing, that this Jack Frost refused to let up the snow. But that he apparently had given up on trying to kill Victor.

"Well that was nice of him."

"Aye. Apparently the sprite had wanted to see the Hoffenträumen blamed for the weather, not him or Elsa. When you stopped that from happening, he grew a mite upset. The man switches between emotions like no one I've ever seen. He can be quite the happy fellow, when he isn't trying to kill us of course."

"Of course…everyone's alright then?"

"Aye mate, no worse the wear. A few bumps and scratches. Nothing we haven't had before."

"That's…that's good."

"Once this weather clears, everything will go back to normal. Well, as normal as Storybrooke ever gets. You'll see mate. Save their lives a few times and people forget all about the times you tried to kill them. Trust me. Not that they invite me into their homes for dinner or anything but…"

"Maybe it's because you still dress like you are going to pillage their homes."

"Oi, there is nothing wrong with the way I dress."

"How you didn't get frostbite on your chest this entire time I will never understand."

There were moments during those two weeks where Victor could almost feel normal. Moments where he would be having a conversation and there would be nothing else on his mind. Where he could push all other thoughts away. But those moments were fleeting.

Jefferson was letting Victor have his time. Keeping his distance. But Victor could tell even Jefferson was somewhat worried about Victor's behavior. Jefferson hadn't said anything, but Victor could tell in the way the man always had tea ready for him in the mornings, much earlier than Jefferson would normally have been awake. And the man had done more than lock up his liquor. He had dumped it all out in the snow. There were nights where Victor both resented and loved Jefferson for that act.

Two weeks of forced sobriety couldn't even convince Victor that he should return to town. It was Jefferson who finally told him he had to go back.

"Not that I don't love you being here, eating all my food, and moping about. But you've been wearing the same two shirts for the past few weeks. Go back and get a change of clothes or something. And bring me back some cupcakes from that bakery on Main."

Jefferson all but pushed him out the door. The roads were clearer now than they had been when Victor had driven out. The snow not as high, the wind not as strong. Perhaps some progress had been made in the last day or so. Or Jack was conserving his energy, getting ready for his next big move.

Victor still drove as slowly as he had when he had left.

The sight of the town in front of him almost triggered another panic attack. He had planned to destroy it all, systematically tearing down the structures he didn't need. Using their parts to create a better town. He shook his head and forced himself to continue driving towards his apartment.

He sat in his car for almost thirty minutes before he finally got the energy to get out. He had to get out of the car, couldn't sit here forever. He kept telling himself this would be a quick trip. Run in, grab some clothes, and leave. No need to talk to anyone face to face. No need to be confronted by their anger and fear. He could do this. He had made it to the doorstep, his key almost in the lock when he heard a familiar voice.

"Dr. Whale." He didn't turn around. He kept his eyes firmly on the handle to his apartment.

"Mary-Margaret."

"We didn't know you were coming back into town today, you should have let us know. Granny's been making these pies the last few days, we could have had her set one aside for you."

He had tried to kill her husband, her daughter, and her grandson. He had said things to her he could never unsay. And she was offering him food. And the worst part was, he couldn't detect any hint of anything other than honesty in her voice. She was sincerely just trying to be nice to him. He sighed and turned around.

"I was just going to grab a change of clothes."

"Oh. Ok, still you should stop by Granny's before you leave I think she…"

The wind suddenly started to blow. Snow's eyes darted to sky. He glanced up as well. The clouds were black, darker than any clouds he had ever seen before in his life. Some unnatural force was driving the wind to blow.

He knew he shouldn't have come back into town.

"We need to get off of the street." Snow reached forward and grabbed his arm. He tried to resist. But she pulled him along behind her.

"My apartment is right…"

"It isn't fortified, Regina has put protection spells on several homes to protect us against his attacks. The town hall is the closest, we can…"

He dug in his heels. They both came to an abrupt halt, Snow almost fell to the ground. He held her arm to keep her upright. He looked down at his feet.

"I'm sorry. I…I don't know why I reacted that way."

He knew why. He couldn't face so many people so soon. He…

"Hey. It's ok. Whale…Nobody blames you for what happened. Come on. We have to go."

Her voice was gentle but he knew she would broker no more arguments. His feet moved reluctantly behind hers. Within moments the wind had begun to howl, ice and snow swirled around them, pelting them with razor-thin shards. By the time they ducked into the town hall, both of them were sporting small cuts.

"Snow, there you are." David was rushing towards them. Victor took a few steps backwards. He had pulled the collar of his jacket up to block against the wind, and it still partially obscured his face. Perhaps he could slip into one of the side rooms without being noticed.

David kissed his wife and then turned his gaze towards Victor.

"Whale?" The prince practically shouted his name. Victor saw several heads turn towards them. Including the majority of Robin's men, who had been living in the hall during the recent winter weather. Victor pushed down his initial panic, he was going to have to hope that he didn't cause a scene.

"I ran into him just before the weather started."

David smiled and clapped Victor on the shoulder.

"You picked a hell of a day to come back. Looks like this might be the worst tantrum yet."

"Tantrum?"

"Yea, that's what we've been calling these storms. We do something to upset him and he just sort of throws everything he's got at us. He isn't trying to kill any one person, just doing as much damage as possible. He doesn't seem to care if anyone is hurt or not."

"Ah." Victor quickly scanned the room. Most people had returned to their own devices. He saw Killian at the front of the room, talking to Regina. He hadn't seen or spoken to her since his second attempt to escape the hospital. He doubted she had any desire to speak to him.

"I have to go check with Regina on the wards, make sure everyone has gotten to a safe house. David, you can show Whale where he can sit until the storm has passed."

"I really don't…" Victor was having trouble with the idea of being locked in here with so many unknown factors. So many variables he couldn't predict. He didn't know many of the people in the hall, how could he know how they would react to him?

"Sounds good. Come on, you can sit towards the front with us."

David pulled Victor towards the front. Victor would have preferred to sit in back. Where he wouldn't have to walk past so many people. But David was determined. Victor could swear people would stop talking and stare as they walked by. Victor kept his eyes forward, avoiding all eye contact.

They wouldn't do anything as long as Victor held favor with the royal family. He hated to think what would happen if he had ducked into this room alone. Would the people have been so quick to leave him be then?

"Most people are in large meeting places like this. Granny's, here, the hospital, and the schools are the main areas. A few larger homes too. It can be tight sometimes, but we manage to squeeze everyone in."

"These storms never reached Jefferson's."

"Yea, like I said he seems to just want to cause trouble to us. Damned if I know what he wants from all this. Usually they want something you know? But he seems to just want to keep…"

The doors to the Town Hall burst open. Three men entered dragging a fourth man between them.

"Help, something's wrong he can't breathe."

Victor should have rushed forward. He should have been at the injured man's side, assessing the damage. Determining what was causing the man to wheeze in such a way.

Instead he stood still.

David and Snow, even Regina headed towards the injured man.

Regina would be able to heal him. There was no need for Victor to get involved.

"John. John can you hear me?" Victor recognized the man Regina was kneeling beside now. Hard to forget someone who turns into a flying monkey in front of you.

"His lips are turning blue, what happened out there?" David was questioning the three men who had brought John in.

"We don't know. Huge gust of wind knocked us all off our feet. Three of us were thrown one way, John here got knocked another. He stood up and was fine for a minute then he started wheezing, I didn't see any blood."

Blunt force trauma. Most likely a collapsed lung caused by the sudden impact. Potential for a broken or cracked rib. He must have hit something on his way down.

David turned back to Regina.

"Heal him."

"I can't. I'm exerting too much energy trying to keep the roof from blowing away. If I use magic to heal him I might not have enough to…" Regina glanced in Victor's direction. "The doctor will just have to do it."

He tried to ignore how her lip curled when she said the word doctor. Or the way every person in the room was now looking at him. There was a time, when he would have loved such attention.

"Whale, get in here."

John's breathing was getting lower, the wheezing almost inaudible now. He appeared to be going into the early stages of shock as well. The man didn't have long, he needed treatment. Still Victor stalled.

"I don't have any of my tools."

"Just tell us what you need mate, we will finagle something together." Killian always seemed to appear out of nowhere. Always standing at Victor's back.

Victor almost felt calm for a moment. Being a doctor was easy, it was second nature to him.

He pushed down his fear, and fell back on his medical training. Assess the problem. Find the solution. Fix the patient. Panic later.

"There should be a medical kit somewhere in here. Bring it to me, take out any large bandages, and any medications. I had most of the bags stocked with items not commonly found in your standard kit, there should be a surgical blade and a syringe with morphine in them. We need to get this man off the floor, is there a table in one of the back rooms?"

"Yea, this way."

"Ok, very gently we are going to lift him and put him on that table. Ready? One, two, three…"

They carried John into the back room. Killian had the medical kit open, the supplies spread out on the table.

Several of Robin's men lingered inside the room.

"I need them out."

Victor didn't have time to think about what would happen if they insisted on staying. If they felt the need to make sure Victor wasn't doing anything untoward.

David quickly shooed the men out, until Victor, David, Killian, and Regina were the only ones left.

Victor kept up a litany of commands. He told them not only what he needed, but why he needed it. It wasn't like in the movies where one could simply make a single cut to the chest and stick a hollow tube inside to relieve the pressure. It was a complicated surgery. One that took more than a few moments. Especially if you didn't want your patient's lung to collapse again a few hours later.

By the time it was done, Victor was tired again. John's breathing was still labored but the bluish tint had left his lips.

"He going to be alright?"

"He should be. I will need to monitor his breathing for the next few hours."

David clapped him on the shoulder again. It was beginning to be a bit of a familiar gesture between them.

"Good work. We will tell the others he will be fine."

Victor nodded as they left the room. As they left him alone with the unconscious man. He wondered what the others out there in the hall would think of such an act of trust. Would they question the Charming's reasoning, their leadership? How many monsters could the royal family allow into their inner circle before people started to wonder who the good guys really were?

Victor heard Mary Margaret enter the room. Victor still stood over John, a needle in his hands. He wondered how that looked. Probably not good.

"I'm just giving him an injection of penicillin in case the blade I used wasn't as clean as it should have been. "

"You don't have to do that."

Victor looked up suddenly.

"Of course I do, the risk of infection on an unsterilized blade…"

"I mean, you don't have to explain to us what you are doing. We know you aren't trying to hurt him."

Victor turned back to the patient on the bed. This was why he was staying out with Jefferson, why he only came back into to town to get a change of clothes. To avoid conversations like this. Mary Margaret took a few more steps into the room. He knew she wanted to talk to him, he knew they all did. But he…he couldn't. Not now.

It was selfish. Especially considering what they had done for him. How far they had gone to save him, when they should have just…

"Everybody's sort of bedding down for the night. Regina thinks it won't be safe to go outside until morning, so we're all stuck here together."

Victor steadfastly refused to turn around. Busying himself with the needle in his hands.

"Whale…Victor…"

Aside from Ruby, no one really called him by his real name. To hear it coming from Snow White was…odd. There had always been a distance between the two of them. An awkwardness that permeated even after he and David had become friends. Even after Victor delivered their child. He had always thought it was because she had regretted their tryst after regaining her memories. She had most likely regretted it before then as well.

Now, there was no sign of hesitation, no sign that she was uncomfortable around him. He was just another friend to her, another person who needed help. Another person she refused to give up on.

It was more than Victor's fragile state could handle at the moment. Since the unfreezing of his heart, his emotions had been…chaotic at best. He couldn't tell if he would start crying or laughing from one moment to the next. The overwhelming sense of being able to feel anything at all was…too much. He was having trouble remembering how he had done it before.

"I…I need to monitor his breathing."

He still refused to turn. Refused to look into the eyes of another person who had thought he was worth saving. Even after all he had done.

He worried she would press the issue. Try to convince him to come join the others. The idea of being around so many of them, so many of the people he had hurt…his panic was starting to return now that the crisis had passed.

Mary Margaret put a hand on his arm. His focus remained solely on injecting the penicillin into John's arm. An act that should have taken his practiced hands seconds, was now taking minutes.

"Ok. I called Emma and the others, let them know what had happened. Robin said he was going to owe you a beer for this. Everyone is glad that you were here to save John. He would have died without you. Let us know if you want someone to take over so you can get some sleep."

He was glad she left the room quickly. He would have hated for her to hear his muffled laughter.

Sleep. He wouldn't get any sleep tonight. He hadn't managed it in the past two weeks, why would tonight be any different. He could barely go an hour or so before the nightmares woke him. He was thankful he had managed to keep his nightmares to himself. Thankful that Jefferson had made no mention of the bags under Victor's eyes. He rubbed a weary hand over his face. Two weeks without sleep was pushing it, even for him. He was worried he would collapse before too long. Repay all their sacrifices by simply dropping dead of a heart attack. He imagined Death would get a rather good laugh out of that.

Victor didn't know how long he sat in the chair, watching the steady rise and fall of John's chest. It could have been minutes or hours. He was lost in the hypnotic movements, allowing his mind to focus on it and nothing else. He wondered idly who would disturb him next. David or Killian most likely. Ruby would probably be sitting beside him right now if she wasn't trapped at Granny's. She might not even know that he was here.

He took a long breath and tried to clear his mind again. But things kept sneaking in. A flash of Tinkerbell, his blade running across her face. The sight of Ruby after he had poisoned her. Henry's throat in his hands. Being back in town was making it difficult to push the images down.

How could he ever look into any of their eyes and not see the fear? John's chest hitched slightly and Victor made a motion to stand. But the man's breathing evened back out, and Victor returned to his seat. He tried not to think on the past. Tried to ignore the images, focus on the reassuring voices telling him it wasn't his fault. Telling him that that monster wasn't who he really was.

Some moments he could almost believe them. But what would believing them matter? If he was able to move past it, then what? Then all he could think on was his future. All he could see was the simple truth.

He couldn't be a doctor any more.

Not here. Not when so many would doubt him. Would fear him.

_If the patient doesn't believe in you, doesn't have faith in you, then you have already lost them. You have to be able to convince them with just a look that they are safe with you, that you will save them. Your certainty will fuel their strength, will give them those extra few seconds of fight. And that, that will save their life better than any medicine or procedure._

He had always thought his Professor had been overstating it. Had been embellishing the reality. How could a look do more good than medicine? But over the years he had come to realize the truth of it. He had never lost the confidence of a patient before, never let them see his doubt or fear. Now…

The only other option would be to leave Storybrooke, find another realm and be a doctor there. But those thoughts were quickly discarded. He couldn't leave. This place, these few people who had risked everything for him, they were his family. This was his home. He would have to be content with whatever life he was allowed to lead.

He couldn't stay with Jefferson forever. Perhaps he could build a cabin out in the woods somewhere. Not that he had any idea how to do that, but he could learn. Killian once mentioned that Zelena had been staying in an old farm house on the outskirts of town. Perhaps he could simply move in there. No one would notice. Ruby would sniff him out quickly but…

"How is he?"

Regina. He didn't even have the energy to question what she was doing in here.

"His breathing is normal as can be. As long as an infection doesn't take hold he should be fine. He will have to remain off his feet for a while though."

Regina made a noncommittal sort of noise, but remained standing with her arms crossed in the doorway. Victor returned his gaze to John's chest. The bandage was holding as well as it could be, he would have to check it here soon.

"I was wearing a pendant to protect me from the cold."

"What?" Victor was barely paying attention to Regina.

"When your little trap almost killed me. It wasn't skill or power that kept me alive. I wasn't protected by a hidden reserved of magic. I had put on a pendant to protect me against the magical effects of the snow storms. That was what saved me."

"Oh." Victor didn't know what else to say. He wasn't sure what the protocol was for having someone confront you about your attempted murder of them.

"I saw some of the machines you created in those notebooks of yours…"

He really didn't want to know. He knew what they did. What they could have done. The notebooks might have all been destroyed, but there was no way to destroy his memory of them. And if he had the memory, he had the ability to create them again. Perhaps that was the point Regina was trying to make. Trying to gauge whether he was working on something new during his recent isolation.

"The notebooks were all destroyed. I have no intention of building anything from its pages."

"Why not?"

Victor finally looked at Regina. There was no recrimination in her eyes. Only curiosity.

"You saw what I was capable of, the things those machines could do…"

"Yes, and the next time some all powerful magical being with a grudge swoops into town and threatens to kill everyone, you're telling me you wouldn't try to stop them? That you would let innocent people die? What, for your own precious conscience?"

She was trying to get a rise out of him. Trying to goad him into something. What, exactly, he wasn't sure. But it wasn't going to work. Not on him. He didn't seek power the way Regina and Rumpelstiltskin did. Didn't feel the need to prove that he was more powerful than either of them could ever image. He would have preferred to live the rest of his life without anyone knowing what he was truly capable of.

"I didn't realize you knew John."

Regina seemed slightly unnerved by his lack of response. Her answer was short and clipped.

"Roland likes him."

Victor gave a slight smile at that. Roland was a very likeable child. He would grow into quite the good man.

Victor expected Regina to give up, to leave. But instead she took another step inside the room. She stood in front of him, blocking his view of John's rising and falling chest. He raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"You think you're the only person who has done terrible things?"

Regina…

Regina was here to give him a pep talk. He would have laughed if he didn't think that it would have dissolved into a hysterical fit.

"No."

"Then what is this…moping? You have your heart back to normal, you aren't a danger to anyone any more. Suck it up and move on."

Aren't a danger anymore. He wondered if she knew how wrong she was. How wrong they all were.

"I remember the first time we met you know."

Regina snorted.

"It was a bit of a memorable experience for me too. Hard to forget a man who claims he can bring back the dead. Then fails."

"I mean. I remember you. I remember how hopeful your voice sounded when you asked me if I could really do it. How disgusted you were by your mother's vault. And the way Snow talks about you, about how you were before Daniel died. How kind and loving…"

"Is there a point to this?"

"You were a good person, who took a wrong path. And I'd wager that that is what happened with Rumpelstiltskin as well. Considering the lengths he went to to get his son back. You can't pull off that kind of evil, that depth of emotion, if you didn't know what true loss of love felt like. You, him, every other villain that has come into this town as had a reason. A justification for their anger. A moment they can point to and say, this…this is when I changed. When I knew I couldn't go back. I could make the claim that my brother's death was what spurred me down a dark path, but that would be a lie. I was already on it when he died, and if he hadn't…"

"Odds are he and I would have ended up on opposites sides. You saw what I was capable of doing when I only had a few days and limited resources. Those machines, those…the things I did to people, they were not ideas that came to me suddenly. They were ideas I already had. Ideas that formed in my mind at one point in my life. I designed some of them when I was a child. But back then I didn't have the ability to generate the amount of power I would have needed. So I put them in the back of my mind. And there they waited."

"The difference between what you did, what all the others have done, and me is simple. I have always had the power to kill you and everyone else in this town. I never needed to seek it out. It has been in my mind since I was born. I have no frame of reference for what a normal mind should think, what a normal person should feel. Because this…this is what I have always been. The freezing of my heart didn't change my personality Regina. It exemplified it."

"No longer a danger to anyone?" Victor gave Regina a small smile. "There might come a day when I get an idea in my head, when my obsession overrules the common morality that others have tried to instill in me. And…"

"You're afraid."

Victor stopped speaking. Afraid? Of course he was afraid.

"I've been afraid of myself since I was ten. Afraid I would hurt my family in some way. That fear ended up being rather prophetic. My obsessions killed them all."

Victor didn't know why he was telling Regina this. Maybe it was the fact that he was certain Regina wouldn't be shocked by anything he said. Maybe he had become too dependent on people and his self imposed isolation was wearing on him. Maybe he was just too exhausted to remind himself to keep his mouth shut.

Whatever the reason, Regina only raised an eyebrow.

"So. You're still a soulless monster then?"

Victor looked down at his hands. Then returned his gaze to Regina.

"Yes."

There was no anger in his voice. No darkness. Only certainty.

"Well I'll have to inform the others then. Maybe we should have kept you locked in that padded room after all."

John's breathing hitched again. This time Victor stood quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just need to check his bandages. Make sure the shot I gave him isn't wearing off. He doesn't need to be awake for this."

He made quick work of checking the patients vitals and removing the bandage.

"I have to put a new bandage on and then I will…"

Victor turned, Regina wasn't in the room. She must have left when he was checking John's pulse. She would most likely tell the others what he had said. Victor inspected his handiwork, taking a moment to appreciate that this would be the last time he would ever get the chance to use his skills. To do the only thing that had ever given his mind a moment of peace. He re-bandaged the wound and sat back down in his chair. They had let him help because there had been no other choice. He doubted he would get so lucky again.

He shook his head. John had almost died. The man had been lying on the ground gasping for air, and Victor had felt relief. A chance to be useful.

To just be a doctor again.

But that was gone now. He might be called on in emergency situations, but he would never work in the hospital again. Never walk the halls, never treat a sick kid or mend a broken bone. He was going to have to find a hobby of some sort. He supposed he could always take up gardening. Of course then people would think he was planting something poisonous, collecting herbs to use against them…

God he was tired.

Victor sat in the chair. It was uncomfortable, but it would have to do. He thought about giving himself a shot of something to help him sleep.

No. He needed to be easily roused in case John needed him.

Victor pocketed a vial of morphine. Another night perhaps.

The hours passed quickly. Victor even managed almost three hours of sleep that night. Not consecutively but still. It was something. He was practically refreshed the next morning. John's breathing had remained constant throughout the night. Still Victor would need to…someone would need to check him over at the hospital.

Killian was the first to greet Victor in the morning.

"Everything alright in here?"

"Yea." Victor cracked his neck to each side. "He needs to be taken to the hospital, if the roads are cleared we should have an ambulance take him. We can't risk jostling him too much."

"I think Dave already called them."

"Oh. Good."

"You look a bit peaked mate, you get much sleep?"

"Not particularly."

"Well, then a cup of coffee and some breakfast will be just the thing. We are going to meet up at Granny's and discuss how to…"

"I should head back to Jefferson's."

"Victor."

Since when did everyone start calling him by his first name? Whale was always the name they were more comfortable with.

"He's probably wondering…"

"Man's got a phone. Call him and let him know. You can't hide away forever."

"I can try." It was meant to be a joke. But they both knew it wasn't.

"What about Ruby then, eh? She's been looking forward to seeing you. And if I were you mate, I wouldn't be running away from that particular reunion." Killian raised a suggestive eyebrow.

"I tried to kill her."

All humor left Killian's face.

"It wasn't you mate. How many times are we going to have to say it? I don't know what you are so afraid of. This whole freezing thing only proved what kind of person you really are."

Victor turned his head sharply and looked at Killian.

"Exactly. It proved that I am capable of…"

"Capable of, yes. Willing to, no. I'm capable of stabbing everyone with my bloody hook, doesn't mean I go around doing it. You're capable of killing everyone with your brain, and when presented with the opportunity to do so, you didn't. You got as dark as you are likely to ever go, and even then you weren't willing to kill anyone. Come on mate, can't you see that? This fear you have of yourself…it's, it's unfounded. What you can do, and what you will do, those are opposite things."

Victor hadn't thought of it like that. And he had done nothing but think about his actions for the past two weeks, as hard as he tried not to. It had never occurred to him that even at his most obsessed, even at his most sadistic, he still hadn't managed to kill anyone. Perhaps it was equal parts his own integrity, and equal parts luck. One could never discount the influence of luck, especially in the scientific community. Sometimes it was all you had.

"I suppose I could think on what you have said."

"There you go! And Robin said he would buy the next round at the pub. Things are starting to look up."

"Aside from the maniac still ravaging the town without any sign of stopping."

"Well yea, aside from that." Victor couldn't help but smile at Killian's enthusiasm.

The medics arrived and lifted John into the waiting ambulance. Most of the people had cleared out of the hall when Victor started outside. Only David, Mary Margaret, and Killian remained.

"You going to be joining us Whale?"

"I should head back to my apartment, shower and change my clothes."

"Alright, just don't wander off this time."

"I don't wander off."

David pushed Killian in the direction of Granny's.

"I can personally attest to the fact that you do. We should be at Granny's for a while. Join us afterwards."

"I…I'll try."

"I'm going to take that as a yes."

Victor nodded and headed back towards his apartment. All he wanted was a shower and something that didn't have bloodstains on it.

 

Chapter 8

He was only a few steps from his door when he heard it. He didn't know why he was surprised that he would be interrupted again. He sighed and followed the noise.

The Hoffenträumen was standing beside his building. It was making a low humming noise. Many had hypothesized that it was their language, but it proved to be too complex to decipher. He needed to find a way to get the creature home. It was probably starving by now. It did appear thinner than it had all those weeks ago. He didn't know how long they could go without food. If he hadn't been so caught up in his own issues he would have remembered to ask if any progress had been made in opening a portal to his realm.

"Hey, what are you doing back here?"

The humming increased in volume.

"Ok, this is going great. Really got a great dialogue going. What do you need? Are you hungry? I don't think the lichen grows…"

The Hoffenträumen continued to hum, but started to walk away. After a few steps, it stopped and looked back at Victor.

"You want me to follow you? Fantastic. They are going to kill me for this."

Victor took out his cell phone and sent David a text, saying the Hoffenträumen had showed up on his front step and wanted him to follow him.

Victor had only taken a few steps after the creature when his phone started ringing.

"Hello David."

"We are on our way."

"David…"

"The last time we followed that guy, he lead us right to Elsa. He might be able to take us to Jack."

"Or he wants me to see an interesting rock he found. It could be nothing."

"When have you ever known anything in this town to be nothing."

"That's a solid point."

"Where are you exactly?"

"Right behind my building he is…"

Victor stopped mid sentence. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. One moment he was seeing the Storybrooke forest in front of him, the next a busy city street.

A black and white city street.

It was as if he was looking through a mirror. A few more steps and he would pass right through. He would be back in his home realm.

He could hear David yelling at him through the phone. But Victor was in too much shock to reply. How was this possible? Victor looked to the Hoffenträumen. It was standing in front of another portal, this one leading to snow covered mountains.

"You…you can create portals?"

The humming was softer now. It almost sounded happy.

It was unlike any other portal he had ever seen. There were no bright colors, no swirling magic. It was simply as if, in one small space, his world existed concurrently with this one.

The Hoffenträumen took another step towards his portal, then turned and looked back at Victor.

It wanted Victor to follow him.

To return home.

This was his chance. His best chance, hell maybe his only chance, to ever see his home again. To know with absolute certainty what happened to Gerhardt. To see if the war had ever truly ended, if their truce had held. He could walk through that portal and forget all about Storybrooke, about the man he had been here. He could write it off as a bad memory, surely his realm would have advanced in thirty years. There were bound to be hundreds of things that would keep him occupied, keep his mind off of this strange little town.

Except…except it wasn't home any more. It hadn't been for a long time. He knew Vladimir would be happy to see him, assuming Van Helsing and Harker hadn't found a way to trap him. But other than that…there was nothing there for him. Even the idea of being able to go and start a new life, with a new name, held little allure. Even being able to be a doctor again. He was finally faced with the possibility to go home…and he found he no longer wanted to.

It was an odd realization. As terrible as it had gotten here, it was still better than returning to a realm he no longer considered home.

"I can't go. It's not…"

The city street disappeared almost instantly. He had recognized that street, his first apartment in medical school had been just down the block. His heart clenched at the memories, at the familiarity of it all. But not at his decision.

The Hoffenträumen was there one moment, and the next he was moving effortlessly through the snow on some distant mountain. Victor waved, though he doubted it could see him or would even understand the gesture. And then it too was gone.

He stared at the space where the portal had been for several minutes. Memorizing every detail, trying to decipher if he could see any differences between the street from the last time he had seen it. Victor was pulled from his reverie by Ruby grabbing and spinning him around.

"Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I'm fine. Really, Ruby stop." She had been pulling at his clothes looking for any sign of injury. "People will think you are trying to ravish me."

Her hands still almost immediately.

Perhaps it was too soon for flirting.

Ruby's lips crashed into his.

Perhaps not.

She smiled at him.

"Welcome back."

He smiled.

"Thanks."

An embarrassed cough turned their attention away from each other. David was looking anywhere but the two of them. Killian and Emma on the other hand were smiling outright.

"About bloody time. Perhaps we should return in a few more minutes?"

David finally managed to look at them.

"No way. I am not letting him out of my sight ever again."

"Well then this is going to get real awkward real fast for both of us." Victor could never resist needling the uptight prince.

"Didn't realize you were into that sort of thing mate."

David's face blushed red. Emma smacked Killian in the chest.

"Cut it out. Sooo, everything's good back here? Aside from the obvious."

"Yea, the Hoffenträumen opened a portal back to our world. I…It was a little bit of a shock for a moment. It is gone now."

Ruby was looking at him with concern.

"And you're ok with that?"

"Yea. I am. I…I don't belong there any more."

Ruby gave him another radiant smile. He would never tire of those.

"So we should probably all head back to Granny's now. All of us." David seemed to stress that Victor and Ruby shouldn't be left alone. "Still have a freeze happy maniac to deal with…"

Victor considered giving David a hard time, then decided it was probably in his best interest to follow. Didn't want Granny knowing the reason Ruby and Victor were not returning with the others.

"Lead the way."

The others walked back towards the street. Victor and Ruby followed a few steps behind.

"So. You're really ok with not ever seeing your old home again?"

"I don't know if I am ok with it, there will always be a part of me that will miss it. Regardless of how miserable I was there. I know that sounds strange, but for all it's horrors, it was my home. I knew who I was there, what was expected of me. Here I constantly feel like I'm…starting over."

"That's not a bad thing."

"No…it is just…uncomfortable for me I suppose. I am unused to…all of this." Victor motioned towards the others and Ruby.

"Yea, we lone wolves take a little longer to get used to a pack." Ruby smirked at him.

"How many of those wolf anecdotes do have?"

"So, so many."

They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments. Victor picked at the sleeves on his shirt. Dried blood still clung to them. He was never going to get that shower at this rate. Ruby elbowed him gently in the side.

"How are you…you know, dealing with people?"

"At the moment my attempts to avoid them seem to be backfiring rather spectacularly."

"I'm sure once you get back to the hospital and start working again you'll start to feel more comfortable around them."

Victor swallowed a small lump in his throat.

"Ruby. I can't be a doctor here anymore."

"What? What do you mean you can't be a doctor anymore? That's ridiculous, you are the best doctor in any…"  
"Ruby…" Victor pulled on Ruby's arm to stop her movements, and her tirade. "It has nothing to do with skill. If a patient doesn't trust me, or if a nurse doubts me and hesitates for even a moment, a person could die."

"Who said they don't trust you?"

"Ruby, it's not that simple."

"Was it that nurse from the hospital again?"

"No, Ruby…"

"Where the hell have you all been? I swear boy, you can't walk down the street without attracting trouble. Everyone's waiting for the meeting to start." Granny stood at the door to her restaurant, her arms crossed over her chest. He sincerely hoped she hadn't heard any of his and Ruby's conversation. Someday he was going to have to test how good this "wolf's hearing" really was.

Ruby smiled at Victor.

"She was worried about you." Then she lowered her voice. "This conversation isn't over."

"I didn't think it was."

Victor moved to follow the others inside, when Granny's hand on his chest stopped him.

He expected her to give him an angry warning. Maybe something about staying away from Ruby. How he wasn't good enough for her. As if that was something he didn't already know.

"You're ok?"

"Yes?"

"Good."

She turned and walked inside. Victor was never going to get used to these people doing the opposite of what he would expect.

Victor took a deep breath then followed her inside.

As far as being stuck in a small room surrounded entirely by people you tried to kill, the meeting wasn't half bad. Victor had to remind himself to breathe slowly several times, but other than that it went well. Elsa seemed the most excited to see him.

"Doctor!"

She hugged him. He had been hugged more times in Storybrooke over the past few years than he had ever been back in his own realm. He gave her an awkward one-handed back pat in return.

"Hello Elsa."

"I am glad to see you have recovered. The others told me you were well, but I wanted to see for myself. Had we not been so pre-occupied by Jack I would have come to see you at your friend's estate."

"It's fine. Really. I'm sure I wouldn't have been very good company anyway."

"Nonsense Doctor. I…"

"Can we save these heartwarming reunions for later? Fairly certain we still have another madman to stop." Gold was still pissed at him then. Victor didn't see Belle anywhere. He would have to ask Ruby what had happened between the two. See if there was any way he could do something to keep the pawn shop owner from beating him to death.

"Of course, excuse me Doctor."

Elsa walked towards Emma and David. The diner was packed with all of their allies. The dwarves, Blue and her fairies, Robin and his men, every member of the extended Charming family. Victor was a bit out of the loop on what exactly they had been doing to counter the attacks. Snow had said something about Regina fortifying the buildings, but that would only protect them from harm, it wouldn't stop Jack.

"Alright. As you all know, we have been having some trouble convincing Jack to stop these attack."

Grumpy scoffed at David's words.

"I'll say. Are we sure no one in town as ever done anything to this guy? Cause he is coming at us like someone killed his puppy."

Grumpy's glance toward Gold was less than subtle.

David continued.

"We are sure. As far as we can tell, Elsa is the only one with a connection to Jack, although recently he seems to have lost interest in her and is focusing on destroying the whole town. We believe we can use the vase she was trapped in to trap him. Gold," David motioned towards the man, "says all we have to do is get Jack to be still for a few moments and he can pull him into the vase."

"That guy doesn't exactly sit still mate. Man bounces about like a bloody jack rabbit."

"Yea, well we will have to find a way."

The meeting continued on, people arguing over the best way to get the apparently energetic man to be still long enough for the magic of the vase to pull him in. Victor remained silent. Everyone was throwing out ideas. Victor was focusing on not thinking of any ideas on how to trap Jack Frost. There was a part of him that was afraid, afraid of the sorts of things his mind might come up with. What if he couldn't turn that part of his mind off? What if every time he tried to come up with a solution, it would come from the darkest parts of his mind? Victor focused very hard on not thinking of a way to help. They didn't need him, they would find a way to use magic to trap this Jack character.

The meeting didn't really end. People just started talking quieter and in smaller groups. Everyone was still milling about, talking amongst themselves. David, Emma, and Elsa were talking quietly about something. Victor was focused on remaining calm, on keeping his mind blank, which was taking all of his focus. Everyone else could…

Wait.

The Hoffentraumen opened two portals. To two different locations. It could have left at any time, but it waited. Why? For Victor? That made no sense. It could have found him out at Jefferson's or when it was trapped in the freezer or when Victor was…

But it waited. Until this exact moment to leave. And it wanted Victor to return with him. There was something he was missing. He knew it was important somehow. He needed to think, he needed quiet. And he wasn't going to get it in the diner. So he, very carefully, slipped back out the front door. If anyone followed he could simply say that he needed to be alone for a moment.

Which was the truth. He sat down in one of the chairs outside and looked out at the snow. There were still mounds of it. Ice still coated every road, every window. There was nothing to suggest that the weather was changing. That this frozen landscape would ever melt.

Except that the Hoffentraumen had left today. Did it know? Could it sense somehow that it was going to get warmer? Or that something even worse was coming?

Victor rubbed his temples. Perhaps it had just been injured when it had initially been brought over. And it had taken this long for it to heal, to be able to amass enough energy to open a portal. There were a thousand reasons that it could have chosen today to leave.

"You're a hard man to kill."

Victor sighed. He was honestly thinking that maybe he shouldn't be left alone anymore.

"Sorry to ruin your plans like that. I have a bit of an issue with death."

Victor didn't know what he was expecting. A boy with blue hair, an old man with a pointed nose and frost for eyebrows, a man made entirely of ice. He wasn't expecting Jack Frost to look so…normal.

His hair was a disappointing shade of brown. His eyes light blue, but not unnaturally so. His skin was pale true, but Victor had seen paler skin. And he was wearing modern clothes. Apparently Jack Frost liked to blend in with the common man.

"Don't worry I won't kill you."

"I appreciate it. Please sit."

He hoped someone would look outside and see the two of them sitting there. Victor shot a quick glance towards the diner's windows. He watched as they quickly frosted over. No one would be able to see anything outside of the windows now. He turned and looked at his new companion. Jack was smirking.

"Wanted to have a talk with you. Didn't want to be interrupted. I've frozen the doors too. Going to take them awhile to break them down."

"I see."

"I hope you don't hold a grudge about the whole me trying to kill you thing."

"Every real friend I've ever had has tried to kill me at one point or another. I don't take it personally. Or I would have no friends at all."

"Good. Because I wanted to ask you a few questions. About your realm."

"I will try to be as helpful as possible, but it has been many years since I have returned there."

"My questions aren't about the modern. They have to do with the more primal parts of your people's history."

Victor's phone chirped. Emma was calling him. He was beginning to think they took turns calling him. He wondered if they had made up a schedule.

"Do you mind if I take this? I don't mean to be rude…"

"Oh no, go ahead."

"Hello?"

"Whale, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just sitting outside."

"Look, you need to get somewhere fortified. All of the windows and doors have frozen…." Jack chose that moment to interject himself into the conversation.

"Is that Emma? Tell her I say hello." Victor could practically hear Emma pinch the bridge of her nose.

"…is Jack Frost outside with you?"

"Yes."

"And you're just sitting there having a chat?"

"What else was I supposed to do? Not like I can conjure fireballs at will to fight him. I thought a proper discourse might be…"

"Whale listen to me, I know he seems normal. But you say one thing wrong, one thing he doesn't agree with, and he will turn on you. And he will turn on you quick. Keep him calm, we will get through the ice as…"

Victor dropped his phone. It had become a block of ice in his hand.

"Sorry about that. I was getting rather bored."

Damn. He had liked that phone.

"No apologies necessary. It was rude of me to talk on the phone when you and I were trying to have a conversation."

Jack smiled.

"I like you Doctor. I'm glad my attempts to kill you didn't pan out."

"As am I, although I am curious as to why you let me out of the hospital."

"Well I needed to remain hidden, and that group in there was getting awfully close to realizing I was around. I knew Elsa knew about me, and if they got to her…"

"So I was a distraction."

"Exactly. And a very good one I must add. Normally those whose hearts are frozen don't get very far. They end up sitting in a cell until they are either killed or cured. But not you, you escaped. You caused them to almost completely abandon their search for Elsa. They were so…afraid of what you would do. I'd never seen anything like it. Why would so many magic users be afraid of someone as normal as you?"

Victor tried not to be insulted by the term normal. He also tried not to think about the fact that even a complete stranger had picked up on how afraid of him people were. How afraid even Victor's friends were.

"My realm has a tendency to breed monsters in the strangest of forms. None more unusual than that of normalcy."

Jack laughed.

"Very true Doctor, very true. One would assume your Hoffenträumen was the monster, not you. But that didn't quite pan out did it?"

Something clicked in Victor's head.

"You brought it here on purpose, because you thought it was a monster, that it would attack and kill anyone it came across."

"You have to admit, it does look the part."

"Why? Clearly you have power. You could easily kill…"

Jack's powers were impressive. He could cross realms, he could create snowstorms, with wind that could blow grown men off their feet. But even with all that power he still hadn't managed to kill anyone. Unless…

"You're not trying to kill anyone at all are you."

The smile on Jack's face remained, but it was harder now.

"Careful Doctor. Cleverness is only a virtue if it doesn't get you killed."

"That's why all your attacks have been focused on the town, you are trying to cause as much damage as possible. But you don't particularly care if anyone is injured or not. Is there an actual target? You threw a dagger at me but you missed, and you were only a few feet away. Something is either preventing you from being able to kill anyone or you simply don't want to do it."

Jack leaned back in his chair. The calm smile on his face was undercut by the madness in his eyes.

"Elsa ended up being a disappointment. I thought she and I would be able to have so much fun together. And we did. We would test each other's limits. Until one day she didn't show up for our games. She told me she had to protect her kingdom from invaders, that's why she missed our meeting. She was off playing with others when she was supposed to be playing with me. But I figured out a way to have her all to myself."

Victor thought back to what Rumpelstiltskin had said.

"You bonded the mirror pieces to her magic."

"Yes! It was so simple. I had seen the mirror in another realm. I figured if her own people turned against her, then she would have no choice but to be with me. If they saw her as a monster and chased her away. She would leave those fools behind. And she did. She was all mine until that wizard locked her away. The fool actually thought that she could control the shards, thought she was deliberately trying to hurt him. When she popped up again, I knew I had to find her. But I wanted to stay hidden, I wanted to see how much of her power had remained. How strong she still was, if she was still worthy of our games. These pathetic townspeople started getting too close to her, started getting near her before I was ready. So I grabbed that creature of yours and I brought it here. I figured it would take out a couple people, distract them until I was sure Elsa was ready. But then I was surprised. Surprised by all these fun magic users, surprised by you."

"I've found I rather like this new game. No one has ever put up as much resistance to my power as the people of Storybrooke. They will break eventually of course."

"So this isn't about attacking any one person. You think of this as a game. You aren't trying to kill anyone. You're just…playing."

"You are so stuck on that single fact Doctor. You need to let it lie. I have no intention of telling you the specifics of my particular curses so that you could use them against me. I could do it you know. Kill. If I wanted to. I could stick a dagger in your heart, or I can cause the temperature to drop so low your breath will freeze in your throat."

"So why haven't you done that? Why not simply take the temperature down to absolute zero? Nothing would survive."

Victor regretted saying it the moment the words left his lips. Maybe Jack had simply never thought of that, and Victor had just given him a wonderful idea on how to murder the whole town. This was why Victor was trying not to have any new ideas.

"You aren't listening to me Doctor. And I am done answering questions. You are going to answer a few of mine first. What is the most dangerous creature in your realm?"

"Humans."

"I'm in no mood for games."

Victor almost responded with a sarcastic comment about everything Jack doing was a game, but he managed to hold his tongue just in time.

"I'm not playing any. Humans are the most dangerous. There are certain cults that practice cannibalism, others that like to wear human skin as clothing…the list goes on and on."

"I have seen creatures in your realm without faces, creatures eyes that number in the hundreds, creatures that have poisonous thorns growing from their fingertips."

"The Slenders are so shy they hide behind trees if you even breathe in their direction, the Panoptes have so many eyes because they live in muddy water and do little more than sit and wait for a fish to come near their mouths, and the blue glaucus' thorns are only poisonous to small mammals. At most a human would be sick for a few days. None of the most horrific looking creatures of my realm are particularly dangerous."

"That is rather disappointing Doctor."

"The true monsters of my realm are the same kind you find in any other."

"I don't believe you."

Well that was a bit rude.

"I don't know what else to tell you."

"You are going to tell me where I can find the most vicious and depraved creature in your entire realm. I have seen hundreds of realms, thousands even. And none have so many grotesque creatures as yours."

"Why do you need a monster to…"

"Enough!" Jack flipped the table with a strong gust of wind. Victor was knocked to the ground, his chair upended by the power.

There was no smile on Jack's face now. No hint of the amicable man that Victor had just been talking to. Jack's entire appearance had changed. He no longer looked like the normal man who had sat down. Now Victor could see the supernatural, the ethereal, aspects of the man's features. His brown hair was almost white, his eyes a blue that was constantly changing. White patterns etched themselves into his arms. It looked like a spider had encased the man's skin in an intricate web. Victor hadn't noticed it before, but the clothes the man was wearing were far too thin for any normal person to be wearing in such temperatures.

"Tell me the names of the creatures."

Even his voice was different. It echoed through the air, swirling around Victor like its own storm.

Victor didn't know what else to say. There were no creatures that would do what Jack wanted. None that Victor would ever bring to Storybrooke anyway. There were probably dozens of creatures Victor could think of, but he was trying to keep them out of his mind in case Jack figured out that Victor was full of shit.

"I told you, we don't…"

Victor looked down at his hand. It was being encased in ice. His other hand as well. He was effectively pinned to the ground within seconds.

This made no sense. Why did Jack need a monster from Victor's realm? Wouldn't an ogre from the Enchanted Forest do just as much damage?

The ice was spreading up his chest now. Would this kill him? Or would he simply be frozen in a glass coffin, waiting until he suffocated or…

Another blast of wind rocked the little patio, only this time Jack was flung backwards. The ice around Victor quickly melted and he rushed to his feet.

Elsa and Emma were standing just outside Granny's.

"Whale! You ok?"

"Sure. I'm beginning to think perhaps it would be a good idea if, for the time being, I didn't leave any of your guys sights."

"Can't imagine why."

Jack tried to throw several ice daggers at them, but Emma put up a magic shield to block them. Victor glanced at the daggers on the ground then back up to Emma.

"Can I just say, I'm really glad you've learned magic."

Emma gave him a quick glare, then turned her attention to Jack.

"Look pal, how about we quit with this whole attacking each other thing and you just tell us what you want or get the hell out of Storybrooke."

Jack levitated several feet off the ground. So the man could fly. That was slightly impressive.

"Want? What I want? I have everything I could ever want right here."

Elsa tried to reason with Jack as well.

"Jack please. Why are you doing this? We were friends, I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but if you continue acting this way…"

Victor sincerely doubted that Jack didn't want to hurt anyone. In fact, all the man seemed to do was attack and retreat. Attack, give them some time, talk to them, then get pissed and…Son of a bitch.

"He's playing a game. He wants us to play with him but apparently we aren't doing it correctly. He wants to be a hero."

"Excuse me? You wanna run that by me again?"

"The Hoffenträumen, then Elsa, then me. He wants to have a monster that you can't beat, and then he wants to come in and save everyone."

"And how does that track with him constantly attacking us?"

"He's like a child whose toys won't do what he wants so he throws them against the wall. In fact, that might be exactly what he is."

"So David calling them tantrums might be spot on?"

"He kept asking me about the monsters of my realm. So focused on the idea that they would be the worst kind imaginable. And he seems oddly obsessed with Elsa, but in that he considers her another one of his toys. It just seems like the actions of a child."

It wasn't like Peter Pan who was a man masquerading as a child. This was a child, pretending to be a man. Super. He wondered if they would still want to lock Jack in that vase.

"So…what do we do now?"

"You're the Saviour. This feels like your kind of decision. I mean for all we know he could simply be a species that never matures the way we do. He could be thousands of years old."

"So he's the oldest kid in the world?"

"Maybe? Look I'm kind of making this up as I go. I really have no evidence to back any of this up with."

"Well it's more than we had a few minutes ago. Elsa!" Emma pulled Elsa's attention away from her ice battle with Jack.

"Yes?"

"Can you freeze him? So we can stuff him in the vase?"

"His power is greater than mine."

"Bull. Rumpelstiltskin is afraid of you, I'd say you are stronger than you know. Throw the shards at him."

"What?" Victor and Elsa responded at the same time.

"I don't think making him more sadistic is the right way to go."

"If he knows about the shards then he will do anything to avoid them. Plus, Elsa said the two them still hung out even after the mirror bonded to her magic, so he can probably block against the worst of it. Do it Elsa!"

Victor couldn't comprehend the reasoning behind this plan. Until he saw a shadow behind Granny's. Of course. It was a distraction, a way to herd Jack into the position they needed him in. The same plan had worked on him after all. Perhaps they should look into coming up with some new ideas when this was over.

Elsa concentrated and sent a blast of magic directly at Jack. He ducked and flew out of her path. She kept pushing, kept focusing her magic at him, kept trying to force him into the alley beside Granny's.

Finally, Jack flew right into the trap. Elsa paused, and Jack took the time to do what every villain does when they think they have the upper hand. He stopped to give a speech.

"I knew your power had weakened Elsa. I knew it. I knew you would never be able to keep up with me. I should have…"

Victor saw Gold appear out of nowhere, the vase in his hands opened. A white mist poured out of the vase, and began to wrap itself around Jack's legs. Jack tried to fight it, tried to fly away, but whatever magic that vase possessed was too strong. Within a few moments, he was pulled completely inside. Gold snapped the lid shut.

"Well that takes care of that."

Victor could feel a change in the air almost instantly. The door to Granny's thawed and the others came rushing out. Emma dropped the force shield she had used to protect them. David was the first to reach them.

"Did it work? He's trapped in there?"

"Looks like. Gold, the vase." Emma had outstretched her hand. Gold was staring at the vase rather oddly.

"Something's not right."

Grumpy interjected in his normal gruff manner.

"What do you mean not right? Did we get him or not?"

"I…the vase should be cold to the touch but it…"

The wind picked up suddenly. Victor's feet were frozen to the ground almost instantly. He looked up to find everyone in the same state. Damnit, he knew it was too easy. How many times could the same plan work?

"You tried to trap me."

Jack was floating just behind Gold. Whatever normalcy Jack had been trying for he had now abandoned. His features looked younger, his eyes were completely white, the intricate patterns covered every bit of exposed skin. Even his hair was different, it wasn't white or brown, it was almost clear. Like thin moveable strands of ice.

"I don't like being trapped. I hate being trapped!"

Jack made a swift move with his arm and Gold was completely encased in ice. The dwarves and Robin's men tried to attack but they were frozen as well. Elsa made one last attempt to reason with the angry man.

"Jack stop! Please. Just stop and…and I'll go back to the mountains with you. We can play our games again. I won't ever leave again, I promise. Please leave these people alone."

From the looks of the others, it was highly unlikely they would just let Elsa leave with Jack. David and Killian reached for their weapons, only to find them frozen to their belts. Emma was struggling to put up another shield. She had used too much magic too quickly, she wouldn't be able to protect them all.

"I'm bored with that game Elsa. I wanted to play something new. Storybrooke is the perfect place for my new game. It's so much fun here. Look at how they fight, no one ever fights against me any more. I will just freeze those who don't know how to play properly," Jack leveled a glare at Gold, " and the rest can join in the fun."

"Seriously?" Emma was struggling against the ice surrounding her feet. "You can't just freeze people you don't like. "

Jack flew right up to Emma, his face only a few inches from hers.

"Yes I can. Of course I can. I won't freeze you, you're fun. They aren't though." Another wave of his hand and David and Killian were frozen as well.

"No!" Emma was really fighting now. She tried to grab Jack and pull him towards her, she would probably try to strangle the man with her bare hands if she could. But Jack just moved a few feet back. He looked towards Elsa.

"I can't freeze you either. I've tried but it never worked. Oh well, we can have more fun. I'm going to break the shards into smaller pieces, so small you won't be able to tell if someone has been infected until it's too late. You won't be able to even create a snowflake without endangering all of them."

He would really do it too. Jack, however old he was, had at some point gotten bored. Vladimir had often said that was the major pitfall of immortality. You became so bored with just being alive. It often took something extreme to garner your attention. So Jack was going to keep attacking them, because for the first time in forever, he had found people who could actually keep up with him. Could actually give him a good game.

There was really only one option.

"Sichernkind."

Every non-frozen head turned towards him.

"Victor what are you…" Victor could see some cracks in the ice around Ruby's feet. She might be able to break free within a few minutes. Jack flew in front of him.

"What was that Doctor?"

"You asked for a monster from my realm and I'm giving you one. The Sichernkind."

"What do they look like?"

"They have black hollow sockets for eyes, their skin is stretched so tightly you can see every bone of their emaciated frames. They have no mouths, just a small slit in the skin of their face. There isn't a single hair anywhere on their bodies. Their fingers are long, and have poison coated nails at the tips."

Technically it wasn't a poison, it was a sedative that would only incapacitate an enemy for a few moments. They were extremely gentle creatures, known to help children lost in the woods find their way home.

"People fear them?"

Not even a little.

"Yes, the Sichernkind you see, they prefer children who are lost in the woods."

"I will bring one here at once then!" Jack was smiling, happy about this new addition to his game.

"You can't."

"Why not?"

Good lord, Victor could have sworn that was a pout.

"They live only in the Black Forest, an area so filled with darkness that a person can go mad after only a few minutes. No out-worlder has ever been able to enter the Black Forest and leave. Not without a guide anyway."

"Oh hell no, Whale…"

Emma's mouth was suddenly covered in ice.

"You want me to bring you along?"

"Yes. Think about it Jack. If you leave for a few days, give them time to regroup, then you can return with the Sichernkind and start the game new. You don't want to beat them like this do you? Look how tired, how weak they are. This is hardly a fight."

Jack looked around the group.

"You're right. This was too easy. But…why would you help me? Why do you want to bring the monster here?"

"I…When my heart was frozen…I was able to see clearly. I saw how weak these people were. I have tried for the last few weeks to understand the things I did, and now I finally do. I want to return to my own realm. That is where I belong. Where I can do the things I want, without the interference of these people. Take me with you, and all I ask is that once you have the Sichernkind, you leave me in my realm."

Victor hoped that was convincing. Although he feared it would be too convincing and the others might believe him. Would they think he really wanted to return home? He told them about the Hoffenträumen but they might think he was lying about…

"Deal! You heard the man, take a few days, rest up. And we will be back soon."

"Victor!"

He wanted to tell Ruby he was sorry. Wanted to say something comforting. But Jack grabbed his arm, and Victor felt a gust of wind pull them up. Within seconds, Storybrooke was gone.

And then all Victor saw was darkness.

 

Chapter 9

"How much longer?"

Patience was not Jack's best virtue. Victor had done everything he could over the past few days to stall the man. He had taken them down every darkened path and covered trail. He knew Jack was bound to get suspicious eventually. Victor had assured him that the Sichernkind were simply very reclusive. They could sense people coming and would often stalk their prey for days on end. They had to be patient if they wanted to capture the elusive creature.

"I'm sure we will come upon a den of them before too long. It has been many years since I was in the Black Forest…"

"Don't get us lost again Doctor. I might think you are doing it on purpose."

Victor nodded in agreement and kept walking. The Black Forest stretched for hundreds of miles, Victor was determined to get them as far away from any towns as he could. So he had started on a direct path that would put them in the heart of the forest. He didn't know how long it would take for the others to follow them.

If they would even be able to at all.

At some point they were going to run out of beans and magical trinkets and they were all going to be stuck in a single realm. Victor just hoped there was still one last trinket left for him.

They would come and get him. The idea that they wouldn't had been, surprisingly, a fleeting thought. The first day he had debated with himself. Arguing the merits of whether he should just take Jack towards the Black Lagoon and let the water swallow them both. But somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that was foolish. They were going to come after him. He just had to stay alive long enough for them to find a way to cross realms, track him through an endless dark forest, and defeat Jack.

Piece of cake.

Victor shook his head and kept moving. Jack was a relatively quiet traveling companion. Victor assumed it had something to do with the fact that he had told Jack there was a fire demon that lived in the woods and tracked its prey by sound. The fire demon was just a bioluminescent salamander no larger than a few inches, but Victor kept that bit of information to himself.

He tried to keep an eye on Jack, tried to look for signs that the man was slowing down. That he was weakening. Any hint of a way to defeat him. But there seemed to be no pattern, nor reason for whether he would walk or choose to fly. There was no obvious amulet, no clear sign of the source of his seemingly limitless power. No hint as to how the man was able to harness such powers. And it was made even more difficult by Jack's inability to stay still. This was not Victor's only concern however.

Victor was certain Jack was flying off in the night. Victor awoke one morning to find the man picking something that looked like straw out of his hair. And Jack's appearance had gone back to normal. Brown hair, blue eyes. The man could fit in in any small town.

The last thing Victor needed was Jack causing trouble, stirring up the locals. If the others didn't come for him soon, Victor might find himself trying to outrun an angry mob. And as tired as he was, he doubted he would make it very far.

They walked all day, barely stopping to find food or water. Jack didn't appear to need to eat and found this inconvenience an annoying trait in Victor. The only plus side was that Victor was managing to sleep rather well. He was so exhausted he barely had time to think about the things he had done. Or the fact that he was still wearing the same blood stained shirt. He was certain whatever animals lived in the Black Forest were simply avoiding them because of Victor's stench.

Perhaps it was being back in his own realm, being surrounded by the familiar sense of danger and darkness, that it kept his own darkness at bay. What was the evil of one man, compared to the darkness of an entire realm?

Probably why there were so many violent murders here. It all felt so…normal in a place like this. So accepted.

Victor would be surprised if he got out of this without either perpetrating or participating in a violent massacre.

Jack was getting more and more restless as the days went on. He would fly away when Victor was awake now as well. At one point he even asked what they were doing in this realm.

"Looking for the Sichernkind."

"Yes, yes of course. But I thought it would be simple. Just grab it and go. This is taking too long. And I am getting so bored by all of this. Let's just grab the nearest monster and be on our way."

Victor wasn't sure how to react to the man's mood swings. Emma had been right, Jack could go from normal to psychotic in less time than anyone Victor had ever met. Victor was surprised he had managed to keep the man from killing him for this long. Where the hell were the others?

"I thought you wanted…"

"I know what I want! Of course I know what I want. You're the one who doesn't want what I want. I'm bored again. So bored again. I wasn't bored in Storybrooke. I know. You find the Sichernkind, I'll be back in a bit."

"Wait you shouldn't…"

Jack was gone before Victor could even think of a way to finish that sentence. He should probably be relieved his ruse had worked as long as it had. He assumed when Jack returned he would not take any more of Victor's excuses. For the first time in days Victor was alone.

Alone, in his former home realm. He waited for the memories to come, waited for his mind to finally have time to process that he was back. Back in a realm he had grown up in, had a family in, had lost his family in. He expected…more than the nothingness he felt. There was no rush of memories, no sudden urge to find his old home and see if it was still standing. This place was just…another realm now. There was nothing more for him here. He shook his head. How strange, that a man could be born into a life so surrounded by death. A life that should have forever been linked to the darkness. And now he found himself longing for a place of light and color, a place he shouldn't belong. Amongst people who had never seen nor lived in the shadows.

A place that was more home than this land had ever been.

Hell, he wasn't too far from…

"Don't move."

Victor instinctively put his hands in the air.

"All right."

"That creature that was just here. Where did it go?"

"He flew that way."

Victor turned his head towards the voice. Five men in armor stood behind him. Rifles in each of their hands. It was an odd juxtaposition. They were dressed for the crusades, but armed with almost modern firearms. He barely noticed that the rifles were pointed at him. He did notice the large symbol on their chests.

"You're Van Helsing's men."

Victor hoped he had managed to keep the disdain out of his voice. One of the men lowered his weapon and took a few steps forward.

"All good men of the realm are Van Helsing's men. Who are you?"

"Forgive me. I have been away for a long time. I didn't realize the war had…"

Victor hesitated. It had been thirty years, but he couldn't very well say what he remembered about the war. Might make him sound insane to speak about it as if he was there. Thankfully the leader finished the sentence for him.

"The war was won over twenty years ago, and order has been maintained ever since. We are a part of a special battalion, committed to doing the work started by Van Helsing. We seek out and destroy the monsters that would harm the good people of the realm."

The good people of the realm. Victor wondered if there were truly any of those left.

"I see. Forgive me, I was just a boy when I left. I don't know any more than what my parents told me. I returned to the realm a few days ago to try and find a long lost relative, but have gotten myself rather lost in the woods. That…man flew down here and began to ask me all manner of questions about the realm. He grew frustrated when I didn't have any answers and flew away. I…I thought he was going to freeze me."

"You are very lucky. The creature has been terrorizing the local villages. Many are completely locked in ice. You should return with us."

Dammit. The last thing he needed was to be traveling with Van Helsing's men. Especially if the old bastard was still alive. Victor didn't need to be recognized. But Victor had just said he was lost, he couldn't very well say no to an escort out of the woods.

Then again, when Jack returned he would most likely just freeze the soldiers and Victor. So really that would solve all of his problems.

"Thank you. I would appreciate it."

"We should make haste, there have also been sightings of…"

"Whale!"

Victor saw the men pull their weapons, just as David emerged from the darkened wood.

"Wait! Please I know this man."

"I thought you said you had gotten lost."

"I had…he was my guide. We were separated yesterday, a creature attacked us and we had to run. It was nothing to…" Victor moved to put himself between the newly emerged prince and the soldiers.

"Whale…who are your friends?"

"We are soldiers in the King's Army. King Van Helsing has decreed that…"

"That asshole made himself King?"

Victor assumed if crickets lived in these woods, they would be chirping right now. Victor could have slapped himself. He shouldn't have been so damn surprised.

David slid up to Victor's shoulder.

"I'm guessing you shouldn't have said that."

"No. No, I shouldn't have."

"You will be punished for your insolence you…"

All five of the men fell to the ground. Victor looked up to see Gold, Emma, and most surprisingly, Archie emerge from behind the fallen men. Victor breathed a sigh of relief that Ruby wasn't with them. He didn't want to think about what could happen to the werewolf in a realm ruled by Van Helsing.

"They were the bad guys right? Hate to think we just pissed off an entire realm for no good reason." Emma nudged one of the soldiers with her foot.

"Yes, they are most definitely the bad guys. What took you all so long?"

"Seriously? Do you know how hard it is to cross realms. We had to…"

"Do you know how hard it is to keep a super powered, immature being, who I'm fairly certain has ADD, occupied? Without being turned into an icicle for your troubles."

"Can you two quit your squabbling until we are out of this god forsaken land?" Gold was glaring at them. Victor assumed the pawn-shop owner's presence wasn't exactly by choice.

David clapped Victor on the shoulder.

"Good to see you aren't an icicle. A…doc-cicle."

Emma literally groaned. Victor was feeling generous in that they had come to save him, so he only rolled his eyes.

"David. Please don't."

"What?"

"You sure you're alright Doctor Whale?"

"I'm fine Dr. Hopper. I do…appreciate you all coming to get me."

David smiled.

"Of course we came. Now, where is Jack?"

"He flew off just before you arrived. Apparently he has been terrorizing some local towns. I assume you have a plan devised to stop him."

Emma glanced at Gold and David.

"It's a bit of a work in progress but we're getting there."

"Yes, a plan that will only work in Storybrooke, so we have to return there and have him follow us. So let's get going dearies. Chop chop."

Gold started walking through the forest. Victor wanted to ask how the man knew where he was headed.

"He's been like that ever since we unfroze him. We should probably hurry though. Kind of on a limited window of opportunity here. We only have until midday tomorrow to get back to Storybrooke."

"I see. Then by all means." Victor motioned after Gold and they quickly fell into a pattern. Gold barreled ahead at the front, David and Emma took up the rear, and Victor found himself walking beside Archie.

"You look tired."

"Walking endlessly through the forest will do that to you."

"Have you been sleeping?"

"Yes. And before you think I'm lying, I'm not. I've been too exhausted to do anything other than sleep."

"No nightmares?"

"Yes, but these nightmares have been more familiar. I think it has to do with being back here."

"Doctor Whale if…"

"Is this why you came? So you could evaluate my mental state, see if it was safe to bring me back?"

"Of course not. We were going to bring you back no matter what. Do you always assume the worst in your friends?"

"Usually. Although…"

"Yes?"

"Friends…is not a concept I am very familiar with."

"I'd like to think that you and I are friends."

Victor gave Archie a disbelieving look.

"What on earth gave you that idea? We barely speak to one another outside of a crisis. I was under the impression you didn't particularly care for me."

"What gave you that idea? Was it my actions, or your own thoughts? You have to see the world for what it really is Doctor, not the way you assume it is. We came here to save you. I came because, yes, we wanted to make sure you were alright. Not to see if it would be safe to bring you back to Storybrooke, but because we worry about you. We care about your well being."

"Hm. I see."

He didn't really. But everyone was so insistent.

"There were also some concerns about…you not believing you would have a place in the town any longer."

"I tried to explain to Ruby…"

"I understand. I do. I'm a psychiatrist, if a patient doesn't trust me than no good will come from any therapy session."

"Then you know I am right. I can't work at the hospital."

"Have you considered opening a private practice?"

He almost stopped walking.

"What?"

"A private practice. That way the only people who came to see you would be the ones who trusted you. You would have their faith and certainty, just by the fact of them coming to your door."

He hadn't thought about that. It…was a possibility. His practice would most likely consist of only the extended Charming family. But considering how much trouble they attracted, it would most likely take up all of his time.

"I…hadn't considered that option."

"That's why we're here. Your friends want what is best for you, and if you don't think you could go back to the hospital, then we will find another path for you. As long as you want to…"

"We should stop here for the night." Gold had already magicked a tent out of nowhere.

"Sounds good. We'll get a fresh start in the morning. Unless, there is a reason we shouldn't stay in this particular part of the woods?" David looked to Victor.

"No. No, this is fine. Its summer so the dire wolves will be hunting closer to the larger cities. And most animals won't attack as long as we keep a fire going throughout the night."

"I wish you were kidding. All right, I'll take the first shift."

Victor helped collect firewood, then lay by the fire. He knew he should be asking questions about how they got there. How they found him in the Black Forest. How they had managed to survive in the forest before they found him. But he was just so damned tired. He was sure all would be explained eventually.

The next thing he knew, Emma was shaking his shoulder.

"Hey, time to go. We got some miles to cover."

Victor sat up to see the others already ready to move.

"Any sign of Jack?"

"No. And it's starting to freak me out a little."

"Yea. Maybe we got lucky and he was eaten by an Ausländer."

"What the hell is an Ausländer?"

Emma helped Victor to his feet.

"It's sort of a combination of a gargoyle and a lion. It looks a bit like that only with more claws and…"

Victor didn't know how long he talked to Emma about the different creatures of his realm. It passed the time, and before he knew it, David was telling him they were almost there.

It was his own fault really. He should have asked where they were going. Should have questioned why they had to return to a certain spot by a certain time. True, Jefferson's hat had rules that had to be followed, you had to return to the same spot where the door was originally opened in order to return. He had just assumed it was something similar.

He shouldn't have been so surprised by where they ended up. He should have recognized the land. Thirty years hadn't changed it that much. As soon as they crested the hill, he knew.

"Whale. You ok?"

The others had stopped when he did.

"What are we doing here?"

"This is where the portal brought us originally. Gold said your realm wasn't particularly magical in nature so we had to kind of latch onto the highest concentration of magic we could find in order to stabilize our shaky portal. How the hell a falling down old castle is full of magic…"

She was right. It was falling down. The once beautiful stained glass windows were all long since shattered. The tall spires that had towered over everything around it lay crumbled on the ground. Every statue, every gargoyle, were broken to pieces. He should have made the connection. If Van Helsing was king…

"This wasn't…your place was it?"

Archie was looking at Victor with concern.

"No. No, I sincerely doubt my laboratory would have any magical properties tied to it. A…a good friend of mine lived here. I…I didn't expect to see the castle so, destroyed."

"Yes yes it's all very sad and tragic. Let's keep moving."

"Wow Gold, don't let your compassion overtake you."

"I would just rather not be stuck in such a monochromatic state for the rest of my immortal life. So how about, we save the sob stories for later?"

Victor sighed.

"He's right. We should just go."

Archie, David, and Emma looked uncertain, but followed Victor when he headed towards the castle. They were almost to the gates when they heard the sounds of horses.

Victor turned and saw thirty soldiers on horseback riding towards them. More of Van Helsing's army.

"Damn it, we don't have time for this." David went for his weapon.

"Step aside dearie. I'll take care of this."

Gold raised a hand and waved it towards the approaching men.

Nothing happened.

"Any time Gold."

"It would appear that I am not quite as recovered from my incident with Jack as I had hoped I would be."

"You told us you were fully healed. Did you know your magic wasn't recovered before you came with us?"

"It should have returned to full strength by now."

"Perhaps we can argue about this later?" Victor interjected himself between Gold and David. "Besides, after you attacked the last battalion with magic, it's very likely those soldiers will be wearing anti-magic charms."

"Super." Emma tried to wave a hand towards the rapidly approaching army. Her efforts were just as fruitless. "So. Plan B it is then."

"Is Plan B to simply run to the portal and jump through it before we are all murdered?"

"You really are a super genius."

The five of them quickly made their way into the castle. Victor wanted to look around, wanted to see if he could figure out what had happened here.

But there was no time for that. The soldiers were just behind them now. Breaking through doors only moments after Emma would close them with magic.

David pulled at Victor's arm, motioning towards a door leading down into the dungeons.

"Go. Quickly. Emma, open the portal. We will be right behind you."

Victor tried to point out the folly of a plan of making a last stand in the kitchen entrance to the dungeons, but Emma had already pulled him through the door. Gold was just behind them. What David thought he and Archie would be able to accomplish against thirty soldiers Victor wasn't sure.

They descended the stairs and were down in the main dungeons. Victor had once spent a night in that very cell they had just passed.

"Ok, we don't have much time so we need to…"

There was no sound of a fight, no sound of gun shots or the clanging of swords. The soldiers should have made it to the entrance by now. Unless…

"The kitchen entrance is the back entrance."

"What?" Victor was about to explain the many entrances to the dungeon when the sound of a rifle shot echoed through the enclosed space. Emma grabbed her upper arm. A graze. No tissue damage or stitches required. She would be fine.

A warning shot. Victor was surprised they got one of those.

"Do not move. By the order of the King you are to be brought before him to answer for your crimes."

"What crimes?" Emma clearly wasn't familiar with how the monarchy worked. There didn't need to be any crime committed. Just the King ordering their deaths.

"You will come with us, or your punishment shall be carried out here."

Victor watched, almost in slow motion, as Gold stepped forward. Damn it. The man was going to say something condescending and get everyone else killed.

"I'd like to see you try."

Victor wanted to roll his eyes at the typical response. Didn't Gold realize that just because he was immortal, it didn't mean everyone else couldn't die in a hail of bullets.

"So be it."

The soldiers raised their rifles. Looks like he was going to be a part of a massacre after all. He hated being right all the time.

He waited for the shots. Waited for the blood to start coloring the walls. And then it did.

Just not where Victor thought it would. Three of the soldiers in the back grabbed their throats, blood pouring out through their fingers. Several others dropped to the ground. Dead instantly. They began to panic, especially when two of them were pulled upwards into the shadows on the ceilings. They fired their guns pointlessly into the air.

Victor took the distraction and pulled Emma behind a nearby wall. Gold didn't follow.

The screams only lasted a few minutes. Then there was silence. And the eerie sound of blood dripping from the ceiling.

When Victor and Emma peered around the wall, all of the soldiers were dead.

A man stood in front of the corpses. Blood coating his fingers and hands. His hair was short and black, his skin pale, his eyes a dark brown. He was also wearing a type of armor. A chest plate with an old familiar symbol, and chain mail covering his left arm. Victor had asked him why he felt the need to wear armor once.

To keep the blood of my enemies off of my fine clothes of course.

He didn't look any different than the last time Victor had seen him. Except for the fact that he was currently strangling Gold.

Victor moved from behind the wall.

"Whale, don't. We need back up and…"

Vladimir turned his head slightly. He was aware of Victor and Emma's presence but felt no need to address it. They were hardly a threat.

Victor kept walking towards his old friend.

"Whale stop."

Vladimir finally looked up. Surprise was not an emotion Victor was used to seeing on his friend's face. It took a great deal to surprise a man as old as Vladimir was.

"Victor?"

Of course he would be unchanged. Of course he would still stand so separately from all those around him. Unique. The pale man took a few steps forward, his blood soaked hand raising of its own volition. Victor heard the movement around him, Emma raising her gun, ready to attack should Vladimir make a hostile move against Victor. Not that it would be able to do much good. The man had just taken out thirty trained soldiers single-handedly.

Vladimir halted his movements. A look of anger replacing his initial shock.

"So, the wizard conjures an image of you. Does he think this will stop me? It only fuels my rage." Vladimir tightened his grip on Gold's throat. His eyes locked on the gasping man. "Can you feel it? Can you feel my fingers crushing against your magic? Pressing through your pathetic little barrier. You think yourself immortal? You think this weak little thing can withstand me? You do not know immortality. You are a child playing at shadows, running away when they draw too near. I live in those shadows, I am as old as the star that casts them. You have no power here, child."

Victor had no doubt that Vladimir would be able to kill Gold, with or without his dagger. Immortal and eternal were too completely different concepts. And one was currently crushing the others windpipe.

"Vladimir. I'm not an illusion..."

"You have been gone for too many years. And yet you appear unchanged."

"A curse. I was trapped for thirty years, unchanging. Unaging. Please. My friend, look at me. I know you can hear my heart beat, you must be able to tell it is me."

Vladimir's hand clenched tighter.

"No."

"If you would..."

"If I would what Victor? If I would turn and see the truth for myself? If I would look and know with certainty that it is you, if I would find myself reunited with the only human I ever trusted. The only man I could ever truly call friend? Then what? Then I forget the thirty years for which I mourned you? Then I spend what is but seconds in my life span in your company, just to have to go on without again when you die? To have to lose you again, to know exactly what my life will be like without those whom I loved..."

Victor felt a sadness take hold of him.

"What happened to Mina?"

Vladimir threw Gold across the room. The man's body slumping to the floor. Still Vladimir did not turn.

"Things...went badly after your...death. Van Helsing was able to find followers, people who ignored our peace. All those years we fought Victor, all those years we spent building that fragile treaty, that imperfect peace. Lost. Wasted. Torn asunder by one man's blind hatred. Murray killed Mina, burned her body. His own daughter, and he could not accept that she could love one such as me. They hunted us to almost extinction. Our fortresses fell, my children slaughtered in their sleep. There are so few of us left now. So little of the world you left behind."

Victor tried not to feel guilty. Tried not to think on the fact that he had planned to never return. On the fact that he still had no desire to stay.

He tried to think of something to say. Something to convince his friend that he was not alone. But nothing came to mind. So he took another step forward.

"Why did you think I was dead?"

"Van Helsing. He said he found you, said he slit your throat and threw your body to the sea. I found the boat house where he said he had killed you. So covered in your blood. And as each year passed..."

"He didn't kill me Vladimir." Victor took a few tentative steps forward. "He tried, and yes, he very nearly succeeded. He lured me out there, said that he was willing to honor our treaty. That he had injured men that needed tended. I was...well you know I never really took to self defense." Vladimir made a sound that may have been a snort.

"How a surgeon can be so clumsy with a blade, I will never understand."

Victor smiled. It felt so familiar.

"Sword play was never my greatest skill. And he was...much better than me. He managed to get in several well placed strikes. I think he intended to let me bleed to death there. The wounds he inflicted...were very precise. I was not meant for a quick death, he said. I should suffer, I should feel every moment of it. He left me there, so that when you found me, you would know the pain that I had endured."

Vladimir's hands clenched into fists.

"How did you survive?"

"Jefferson." Vladimir finally turned, his surprise overshadowing his desire for distance.

"The Hatter? He was not supposed to return for another two weeks."

"I know. The only time in his entire life he was ever early. He said he had simply gotten the dates mixed up, that it was often hard to keep track of days when each realm could be in a different season. He didn't know who had attacked me, and I was in no state to answer any questions. He didn't know which side he could trust. So he took me to another realm to have me healed. I was unconscious for many days, weakened for many months afterwards. By the time that I had recovered fully from my injuries...Jefferson was no longer making trips between worlds."

"He abandoned you in a different realm? Left you..." Victor grabbed Vladimir's arm, preventing the man from rushing off to find and kill the Hatter.

"He saved my life. He...is a different man than you remember. I harbor him no ill will for his decision. Please my friend, you can find no fault in his actions. We each can only make the choices that we can live with." Victor released Vladimir's arm. "I remained in that realm until I was trapped by the curse. The curse took me to a land without magic, I had no memory of my life before the curse. I was...different. Hence why you heard Emma call me by the name Whale."

"I assumed she called you that as a reference to the size of your ego."

Victor laughed and before he could respond with an appropriate insult, Vladimir had him wrapped in a tight hug.

"I have walked this world alone for too long, I will not forgo a moments respite for fear of things yet to come." Vladimir loosened his grip and was at once the man Victor had always known. Gone was the rage, replaced by a light and life in his eyes. A genuine smile, reflected on Victor's face.

"It is good to see you again my dear friend."

Victor heard Emma clear her throat behind them.

"So...you going to introduce me to your...friend?"

He could see the hesitation in her eyes, the distrust in her stance. She had just watched Vladimir rip through an entire battalion and toss the most powerful wizard she knew around like a rag doll. Speaking of, Victor should probably make sure the man was still breathing. He wanted to tell Vladimir to wait, that telling her his name might cause more problems, but Vladimir was too quick. He took a few steps towards Emma and extended a hand.

"Forgive me, Vladimir Dracula. At your service."

Emma had already taken Vladimir's hand before he gave his name. Now she looked at him doubtfully.

"Dracula? Really?" Vladimir quirked an eyebrow at Emma's tone.

"Yes. Is there an issue I should be aware of? If I have done something to cause you grief milady..."

Emma turned towards Victor with an incredulous look.

"Seriously? Dracula? You're friends with Dracula?"

"I'm Victor Frankenstein, but you draw the line at Dracula? He's not...He won't hurt anyone."

Emma cast a dubious glance around the room, at the blood still on Vladimir's cheek.

"He won't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it." Victor amended.

"Ok. Fine. We...We need to get this portal opened soon. I'll get the others, tell them we won't be having any more problems with the army guys, and break the news about...your friend. Go check on Gold, make sure he isn't dead."

"Of course."

Emma gave the two men another look. It was clear she was having difficulty accepting Vladimir was really there, and that he wasn't going to try and suck her blood the second she turned around. Victor would have to make sure Vladimir cleaned the blood off of himself before he met the others. Emma left and Vladimir turned towards Victor.

"Since when do you listen to anyone?"

"I told you I was a different man for awhile. I have problems sometimes discerning which instincts are mine and which are his. Strangely, neither has ever had a problem following the commands of those in charge in the other land. Well, at least not as frequently as I used to."

Victor checked Gold's pulse. His heartbeat was clear and strong. Victor took a few moments to check the man for any broken bones. Whatever magic Gold had, was probably healing him faster than Victor was able to check for injury. No doubt the man would be fine within a few moments. Victor turned to see Vladimir cleaning the blood from his hands and face.

"That woman recognized my name."

"She is from a world where our lives have been written down as stories. Fictions told for entertainment."

"I see. I take it I am not portrayed well."

"You and I both are portrayed as villains."

"History was always written by the winners. There is little room in her annuls for those who fail to change anything. Little room, and even less pity. I am not surprised you and I ended up as such in these tales."

"No. I suppose we shouldn't be."

"She trusts you though."

Victor hoped Vladimir didn't see him flinch. He still couldn't understand their trust in him. Still didn't believe it most of the time.

"I have tried to prove myself more than a caricature of a name, a monster meant to scare children at night. I…have not always succeeded."

Vladimir smiled softly.

"We monsters so rarely get the chance to be more than what others believe us to be." Vladimir rubbed his thumb over the silver ring on his hand.

"I am truly sorry about Mina. And for every other loss you had to suffer alone."

Gold chose that moment to awaken. His eyes darting between Victor and Vladimir.

"Gold. How are you feeling? Does anything..." Gold pushed Victors hand away, his voice dripping with venom.

"Your friend tried to rip me apart and you are offering me help now? You think I..."

"Take care with your words child. You live by Victor's grace. Not mine." Vladimir wiped a bloody rag over his hands. His tone had been bored. Distracted. As though Gold's presence was no more than a nuisance.

Gold turned one last venomous look at Victor then pushed his way out of the dungeon.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't threaten anyone else for a little while."

"He felt true fear for the first time and lashed out like any child would. I harbor him no feelings of malice. I was merely informing him that his tantrum would not be tolerated. Now then. Perhaps we should go meet these others. I can get a feel of what type of people you have surrounded yourself with. And I can determine whether or not I will threaten any of them accordingly."

Victor was uncertain how any of the others would respond to Vladimir. He was a good man. A man of honor in Victor's world. But the difference between a good man and an evil one was not as simple here. The lines not so defined as they were in the Enchanted Forest or in Storybrooke. In Victor's world, a man who ripped out the throats of his enemies, who killed them rather than offer a second chance at redemption, was seen as good. This man was protecting his people by eliminating a threat. By giving his enemy a quick death. Those were the marks of a man of honor.

Victor decided it would be a good idea to make sure no one mentioned that it was Regina that had cast the curse, or that Rumplestiltskin had created it. Neither would survive, regardless of Victor's protests. He would have to make sure the others were aware that justice was a much harsher thing where he was from. And an eternal vampire might not follow the same code of honor that a mortal prince would.

"Can't wait."

 

Chapter 10

 

Emma's mouth being frozen was the only thing that kept her from releasing a long stream of expletives. The moment Whale disappeared with Jack she used every bit of magic she had left to free herself. She wasn't surprised to see that Ruby had been able to break the ice holding her. Emma rushed over to David and Killian, both men were completely encased in a thick layer of ice. She put her hands on Killian's chest and tried to unfreeze him.

"Damn it! Unfreeze! Unfreeze!"

"Yelling the words louder doesn't make the magic work honey." Regina moved next to Emma and put her hands on Killian's arm. Instantly the ice began to melt. Killian was shaking as the last of the ice turned into a puddle at his feet.

"What…the bloody…hell…is that…fiend? Where….is he?" Killian's teeth were chattering so loudly Emma tightened her own jaw in sympathy.

"He rushed off to find a new play toy, oh and he took Whale with him."

David had just been unfrozen as well.

"What? Why…Whale?"

"That…rapscallion won't succeed. Where…has he absconded off to…with the doctor?"

"Look why don't we wait until Regina has unfrozen everyone so I don't have to repeat myself. Regina, unfreeze Gold we need to figure out how we are going to go after them."

"Are you sure? Seems like we could just leave him like this. I have the perfect place in my garden for a new statue."

"Regina…"

"Fine. But the next time he hatches a nefarious plan, remember I wanted to leave him like this."

A few more moments and everyone was free from the ice.

"Gold, how do we…"

"Let me guess, you all want to go chasing after that frosty demon to retrieve the wayward doctor. Quite frankly, that is a remarkably bad plan."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Victor's done us all a favor. He has removed the threat of Jack, and of himself. The way I see it, Storybrooke is down two monsters. And yet you want to go and bring them both back? Have you people learned nothing?"

Ruby practically spat at Gold.

"Apparently not, seeing as we keep letting you live."

Gold gave a slight amused laugh.

"All I'm saying is, the crisis is over. The good guys won. You can all go home and forget this ever happened. Drink your hot chocolates by the fire and watch the snow melt."

Emma often wanted to punch Gold in the face. But at the moment she could tell she wasn't the only one.

"And when Jack comes back? Then what Gold?"

"You see dearie, I'm the only one here who has ever been to Victor's realm. And I can tell you, Jack Frost is nothing compared to the creatures that live there. Most likely they will both be killed and…"

"Enough. If Whale's realm is as bad as you say then there is no way we are leaving him there. So you had better get on board with the rescue plan, because Jack doesn't seem to like you very much and when they come back I'm sure he will be looking to target the man who tried to lock him up. Next time, Regina won't unfreeze you."

Regina looked immeasurably pleased by this prospect.

"Of course, anything for the Saviour." Gold spoke through gritted teeth. Emma knew she was going to pay some how for that concession, but at the moment she didn't care.

"Great. Ok, we need to work on how to go get Whale and how to trap Jack once they are back. Does anyone know of anyways that we could use to travel to Whale's realm?"

David stepped forward.

"I'll head over to Jefferson's, see if he knows of anything we could use."

"I also know someone who might be able to assist us in this manner." Robin's arm was still in a sling, but otherwise he was almost completely healed.

"Great, you guys and Regina work on that." Emma turned without waiting to hear what she assumed would have been protests from Regina. "Gold, why didn't the vase work?"

"I'm not sure. It had enough power to trap Elsa, but she was a human. Whatever this Jack creature is, he is decidedly not human. I might be able to boost the strength of it."

Emma turned to Elsa.

"You get with Mary-Margaret and Killian, see if you can think of anything that might help us try to fight against him. Any detail could help."

"Of course."

Emma delegated other tasks out, cleaning up the damage, checking to make sure no one was injured, until it was just her, Ruby, and Archie left standing outside of Granny's.

"Ruby, look, when we go get Whale…"

"I shouldn't go."

Emma was surprised. If Killian had been pulled away to another land, she would be the first in line to head after him. She had understood the connection between the doctor and the werewolf, understood that they were both outsiders in more ways than one. But maybe she had overestimated that connection. Maybe the two were just friends.

"Ok…I just thought that since you two were…." Emma tried not cringe at the awkward hand guesture she had just made. Heroes weren't supposed to be so ineloquent.

"I…care about Victor, more than I let on. Maybe even to him. With our pasts, we are both leery of anything good being able to last. Our experiences have taught us that happiness…just leads to more pain. And it has caused us both to hold back when all I want to do is jump in. We are reserved when we should be…The point is, I understand Victor. And I know exactly what he will think if I show up in his realm. If I show up in his world and tell him to come back, he will think that I'm the only one that wants it. He will think the rest of the town would be more than happy to leave him stranded in another realm. Especially his own. And then his guilt over what happened will overcome what little common sense he has.

And sometimes he just needs someone to tell him the hard truth. Otherwise he gets…lost in his own mind. Starts thinking too much. Which is saying something considering he's a genius. What he needs is someone who he thinks would have no reason to lie to him. I think you should go Archie."

"Me?"

"I understand if you don't…"

"No Ruby it's not that, I just…I know how much you care about him. I'm honored you trust me enough to talk to him."

"Well…you might have to literally slap some sense into him. He can be deliberately obtuse about these things. Plus Victor told me his realm has its own species of werewolf, and they would most likely be able to sense me. Last thing we need is to be hunted by a pack while we are searching for Victor."

"Ok, if you're sure."

"I am. Trust me Emma, Victor will listen to you and Archie. He trusts both of you. Besides, if I went, I would just rip Jack's throat out. Which probably wouldn't make a great impression on the locals."

Ruby said it with a smile, but Emma had no doubts that she was completely serious.

"Ok, we will try to keep this rescue party small then. Hopefully that will keep us from drawing any attention from werewolves or mummies. Which I have to assume are real, because why wouldn't they be at this point." Emma rubbed her eyes. She didn't imagine that anything about this rescue attempt was going to be easy.

Several days passed trying to find a way to get to Victor's realm. Jefferson had tried to be helpful but his knowledge of travel between realms was regulated strictly to hats. Which was out of the question at this point, since Emma had no desire to try and figure out how to imbue a hat with magical properties. She knew that Regina and Gold had trouble performing the feat themselves. Although looking at their solution now, perhaps she should have tried harder.

"So…we are going to travel to another realm…with…that?"

"It's more stable than it looks. Saved me life from a pinch or two." Emma had no idea where this Will Scarlet had come from, or even how long he had been in Storybrooke, but Robin had said the thief was trustworthy.

Actually his words might have been closer to "I trust that he wouldn't deliberately kill you all", which at this point was going to have to be good enough. They had already wasted too much time trying to get it to work. Gold had managed to find something in his shop from Victor's realm, a strange key of some sort. And Scarlet had provided what looked like a hollowed out gourd with strange symbols carved into it.

"The key will focus the portal, so that you end up in the realm you are aiming for. Otherwise it might spit you out in the middle of a volcano on the wrong world."

"How does the key keep us from being put in a volcano on Whale's world?"

Scarlett sort of waved the question away with his hand.

"Now, now, I was just asked to provide a means of transportation, the safety of which was not expressly covered in that agreement. So it's this, or you can find your own bloody way."

Emma wasn't excited by that explanation. But they had to go soon. They had no way of knowing how long Whale could distract Jack.

"Fine. So Gold will provide the magical energy necessary to power the portal and the key will focus it."

"Correct. But from what the esteemed Mr. Gold has said, the doctor's realm doesn't have a large amount of magic. So this will lock on to wherever the highest concentration exists and hold there."

"Which hopefully isn't in the middle of an active volcano."

"See princess, you're a natural. You'll only have 48 hours before the link between the two breaks. So best be quick about finding your wayward physician."

"Why so short?"

"I don't make the bloody rules." Emma put up a hand to forestall the rant she could see forming.

"Ok. It's fine. We will make due. Hopefully Whale is close enough to where ever we end up. We are bound to get lucky at some point."

Emma had fallen through her share of portals, but this was by far one of the roughest landings. Every other time she had fallen onto semi-bouncy grass or dirt. Concrete was not so forgiving. She felt the inside of her mouth with her tongue, yea she had definitely bit that pretty good. She looked over to the others, Archie was in a bit of a daze. This might be his first time to another realm…one that wasn't the enchanted forest or Storybrooke of course. A curse must have a softer landing than a portal. David was shaking his hand, a few drops of blood on his hands. Only Gold seemed to be completely unaffected.

Figures.

David offered her a hand and pulled her up.

"Thanks. So…this place is super creepy."

David smiled and looked around carefully.

"A castle of some sort. Looks like no one has lived here in years."

"I wouldn't make that proclamation too loudly dearie. In this realm, being alive isn't necessarily a requirement for occupying a place."

Emma wanted to roll her eyes, but there was just something…off about the castle. She felt like she was being watched by the walls themselves. The black and white of the world was unnerving as well. Thankfully Archie commented on it before she did.

"I know Dr. Whale had told us about his realm…but it is so strange to actually see it for yourself. It's almost…"

"Incredibly creepy? Yea, you don't have to tell us."

"No. It's more than that. It's like…like there is something missing from this world. More than just the color I mean."

"Well, whatever this realm's issues, we don't have time to waste. Gold, you said you could track Whale. Is he nearby?"

"That would be an extremely fortuitous stroke of luck wouldn't it? I sincerely doubt that the portal we were able to string together mostly on your hopes and dreams would be so accommodating. No matter."

Gold pulled out Victor's tie and poured some sort of liquid on it. The tie hovered in the air for a few moments, then started to move on its own.

The small group followed the floating tie out of the decrepit castle. Emma expected the uneasiness to leave as they got farther from the castle. But as they walked slowly through the darkened forest, she found it only increased. Granny had told them what Victor had said about his realm. How you always felt like there was something just outside of your vision, waiting for you to let your guard down. She didn't know how the people of this realm could live with that every day. Only a few hours and she was already feeling uncomfortable in her own skin. She didn't know why, but she had a strange thought. They had been safer in that castle than they were out here.

Emma could tell David and Archie were feeling the same unease. Gold looked completely unaffected. Emma narrowed her eyes at the wizard. There was something she was missing. He had agreed to come along on this journey too quickly. If the rumors she heard were true, Belle had left him. Maybe for good this time. So why had he been so quick to help rescue the man he no doubt blamed for this change in his marital status. It was no secret that Whale and Gold didn't get along. A man of science and a man of magic were hardly going to have a lot to talk about, let alone agree on. She would have to make sure that Gold didn't try anything to hurt Whale.

And if that wasn't the reason…

Gold waved his hand and the tie came to a halt.

"We should stop here for the night."

"We should keep moving, the faster we find Whale…" David took a step towards Gold.

"The doctor has been on his own for several days now I doubt that…"

Emma was already suspicious of the man's motives, but warning bells were going off in her head now.

"Look whatever reason you want us to stop now, we aren't going to. Alright? We will keep going until we find Whale. If you're trying to slow us down for some reason, or if Jack kills Whale before we get to him because of some grudge, I can assure you Gold, you won't be coming back to Storybrooke with us. We will leave you here."

"Good to know where I stand with you. I assure you Ms. Swan, I have nothing but the good of the group in mind. The way ahead is dangerous, this entire realm is populated by monsters, wandering through the woods at night might be safe in Storybrooke or the Enchanted forest, but here, it's a death sentence. We don't want to get eaten before we can reach Victor."

He always had an excuse. There was always a reasonable explanation. Emma was done listening to it. Victor had said the true monsters of his realm where the ones that looked human. Emma was beginning to see the truth in that.

"Unpause the tie. We are going to keep moving."

Gold had a small smile on his face. But there had been a flash of anger in his eyes he hadn't been completely able to mask.

"Of course. Your highness. This way."

The tie continued on its path. Gold marching slowly behind it. Archie and David came up to stand beside her. Archie spoke first.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? We know nothing about these woods, if we keep moving…"

"I can create a light to guide us if Gold won't…."

"Which will bring a lot of attention to us. Victor hasn't been back to his own realm in 30 years. Its possible things have changed since he was here. Ruby didn't come because she was worried about werewolves coming after her."

"Coming after her, she never said to attack her. She just didn't want us to get slowed down, that's it."

David put a hand on her shoulder.

"You sure about this honey?"

Emma looked around them. At the shadows that seemed to move in closer with every step. It was hard enough to see in this realm now. When night came, she was sure the darkness would become suffocating. Would her resolve to keep moving hold then?

"Look, maybe in an hour we stop and we take a break. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let Gold determine where we stop. There is something he isn't saying, something he wants here."

"Ok. We are with you Emma, we will keep an eye on Gold."

Luckily, they found Whale before the darkness or Gold became a problem.

One would think Prince Charming and Count Dracula wouldn't have anything to talk about. That the two would spend the entirety of their time together glaring at one another. Their disparities in world view causing them to do little more than hope death upon the other. They definitely shouldn't be talking in the corner of a dungeon like old friends. Victor kept his eyes on them as Emma approached.

'Ok, so that's…weird right?"

"Precisely what I was thinking. I assumed they would try to kill one another. Or Prince Charming would at least I don't know…."

"Take more than a minute to become friends with Dracula?

"Yes. Do you ever think about how odd some our conversations are?"

"Constantly."

"So should we…"

"Gold said it will take a few more minutes, might as well just let them keep bonding."

Victor didn't like that idea. He couldn't really explain why. Emma left to go check on Archie and Victor tried to be discreet in his observance of David and Vladimir.

After a few more moments the two princes broke up their congenial meeting. Vladimir headed towards Victor.

"These people are unlike the ones of our realm."

"I am aware of that…look Vlad…

"There is no need to apologize for anything. You chose well in finding a new family. One should not be regretful of their choice to leave sorrow behind. And sorrow is all you ever found here."

"Seems to be the same for you my friend."

Vladimir smiled slightly.

"Yes, although I am more adept at bearing it than some one of your…limited lifespan."

"You shouldn't have to…"

"David told me about what happened back in their realm."

Victor closed his mouth. This is exactly what he didn't want. He knew Vladimir's propensity for uncovering the truth men tried to hide. Victor wasn't entirely convinced the rumors of telepathy weren't actually true.

"I see."

"I know it is something you have always feared."

"It was nothing…"

"You are have not changed a bit my friend."

Victor found that incredibly difficult to believe. He had spent 30 years living as someone else, he noticed he still had many of Whale's mannerisms. No matter how hard he tried to suppress them.

"I sincerely doubt that."

"Still holding back. Still trying to remain distant. Although it would appear you have surrounded yourself by those unwilling to let you do so."

Victor looked towards David and Archie.

"It wasn't a conscious decision."

"No. I would suspect it wasn't. Your best decisions were often the ones you didn't take the time to think all the way through."

Vladimir smirked. Victor tried to resist the small smile that crept onto his face as well. No doubt both men recalling the same memory.

"I'm surprised Mina still married you after that."

"She was an eternally forgiving woman."

Both men stood silently a few more moments. Both recalling the woman that had been so brutally taken.

"Why do you continue to hold back?"

Victor wanted to write off Vladimir's question, wanted to say the man was just imagining things. But Victor had enough trouble lying to mortals. The vampire was exceedingly more likely to see through any falsehoods.

"The…incident a few weeks ago. That part of me that I have always feared…took over. I hurt people. People who trusted me. I'm afraid that someday it will happen again. Only next time it won't be because of some spell or outside influence. And there won't be a way to stop me. I can't trust myself Vladimir, how could I expect them to ever fully trust me. To not fear me?"

Confessing your deepest fears really wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He didn't throw up or run away crying so that was something.

"I see."

Victor snorted.

"I knew you would."

"I am not one of your new compatriots. I do not view the darkest parts of a man's soul as something of which he should be ashamed. If this part could aid him in a fight, then he should use it."

"You and Regina would get along very well."

"However. I am aware that you are ashamed of it. That you see it not as a weakness, but a strength you never wish to use. I understand that as well. There were parts of myself that I kept hidden from even Mina. Do you fear me?"

"No."

"Even though you have seen what I am capable of?"

"You saw a fraction of what I was capable of during the war. I did things…"

"The war was the war Victor. No man walks away from war without marks upon his soul. From the highest general to a lowly surgeon, each of us made choices that no good man during a time of peace would ever consider. I am not talking about the war Victor, I am talking about what we do when we still have a choice. Those men in the dungeon, I didn't have to kill them. But I did, and I will never regret it. I might even forget it before too long. And yet you say you do not fear me."

"You have a code you…."

"As do you. One you may, stray from occasionally but never abandon. As much as I have enjoyed seeing you again, it is time for you to return home."

"Vladimir…"

"Whale, Gold's got the portal working. We have to hurry."

"You never belonged here. This realm always belonged to the most monstrous of humans, and you never had a place amongst them."

Vladimir put a hand on Victor's shoulder.

Victor wanted to stay. Wanted to keep talking to a man who truly knew every part of Victor. Who had seen the worst parts of Victor and had never once shown fear, or disgust.

"Storybrooke."

Vladimir raised an elegant eyebrow.

"That's the name of the town. I'm not foolish enough to think that you need something as pedestrian as a portal to travel between realms. If you ever feel like leaving this place…Storybrooke, Maine is where I will be."

"Perhaps I will have to visit this…Storybrooke."

"Visit…stay forever. You know, whatever you feel comfortable with. It would be nice to have someone else from our realm around."

"I will consider it Victor."

The two men embraced. Victor perhaps held the hug a moment longer than was strictly proper for two men of their stature, but Victor felt he needed it. And just as suddenly as he had been thrust back into a world he thought he would never see again, he was pulled away once more. He felt on the smallest twinge of regret as he moved through the portal.

If Victor had his choice he would only jump through portals that Jefferson said were safe from now on. The impact on the cement left his whole jaw vibrating.

"Ow."

"Yea sorry, forgot to warn you about that." Emma offered Victor a hand. He watched as the others came into view.

The welcome party did little more than make sure they were all in one piece before they were scattering again. They were positioning themselves around town. Barricading homes. Waiting for Jack to return in what would not doubt be another disastrous encounter.

They expected Jack to follow immediately behind them. To realize that Victor wasn't where he left him and come running after the man who had lead him astray. Which was ridiculous when you thought about it. Jack could have flown for days. Hell he might have even forgotten where he left Victor in the first place. It couldn't all be constant fighting with magical enemies. There had to be a few moments of peace.

The first day they waited in tense silence. The second day the tension was still present, but somewhat muted. By the 10th day, people were beginning to return to their normal routines. Waiting for whatever the next violent interruption of their lives might be. Victor was sitting at Grannys when Killian entered.

"Still no sign?"

"Aye. It would appear that Jack has forgotten about us for the time being."

Victor tried not to think too much about what Jack could be doing to his home realm. The people there weren't as skilled in dealing with magic. Especially if Van Helsing was king. He would have tried to burn magic from the land years ago. How many people were dead because Victor had lead a monster into their midst?

Again.

"Everything all right mate?"

Victor looked at the pirate.

"…Are you wearing a sweater?"

"Yea, Emma gave it to me said…"

"We just went through what can only be described as the coldest weather ever recorded, during which you wore that ridiculous leather jacket the entire time. Through freezing wind and rain. Through snow piled higher than the tallest man. And now that it's starting to warm up you switch over to reasonable, modern clothes?"

"My jacket is not ridiculous."

"Maybe it wasn't 500 years ago."

"Oi, I'll have you know it was…"

The ringing of the doorbell turned Victor's attention slightly. He saw as Archie entered the diner.

"Doctor, Captain….am I interrupting something."

"Of course not, what do you need Archie?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could speak with you alone for a moment?"

A strange feeling flared up in Victor. One he had trusted many times before. It was telling him to run away from Archie, to not be left alone with him. Victor sighed, he was certain Archie meant well. The doctor had been hovering around Victor a bit since they had returned. Trying to get Victor to open up more about his brush with evil. It was just Victor's entrenched paranoia coming back into play. He couldn't give into that anymore. He pushed the feeling away.

"Sure. If you'll excuse us Captain."

Killian pointed at Victor.

"This conversation isn't over."

"The sweater really takes away from the menace."

Killian shook his head and walked over to a booth nearby.

"You wanted…."

"How about we go for a little walk Doctor?"

Great. When Archie meant alone, he really meant alone. Definitely not going to be a fun conversation.

"Of course."

The two men exited the diner. Victor took a moment to appreciate how the town looked when it wasn't covered in mounds of snow. The sun was shining. Nothing to indicate anything terrible had ever happened here.

They walked in silence for a few moments. Victor barely looked up from his feet. Archie was leading them towards the docks.

Victor took a breath then glanced over at his companion. Whatever comment Victor was going to make died in his throat. Archie wasn't looking at him. His eyes seemed completely focused on the path in front of them. And there was…a hardness in Archie's eyes. It looked unnatural, wrong on the face of the normally congenial man.

Victor came to a stop. Archie took a few more steps, then stopped and turned.

"You're not Archie."

"What? Victor we talked about this, about not letting your paranoia get to you. You are still suffering after effects of the shards."

"We did. And I don't know how you know that. But you aren't him. Did Jack send you?"

Not-Archie smiled. The smile looked so wrong on Archie's face. It was amused. It was vindictive.

"No. No, Jack didn't send me."

Shit.

"You can shape shift?"

"No no no. Shape shift? How messy. How painful. This is a trick, a new trick but an old trick. A fun one, don't you think? I don't remember where I learned it from. It's all about manipulating the air, water in everything you know, in the eyes, making illusions from nothing. Tricking the mind of your enemy."

Not-Archie sort of shimmered in the sunlight, and suddenly Jack was standing in front of him.

"So we are enemies now?"

"We have always been enemies. But now I have proof that you are their enemy too."

Jack pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket. It was old, browning in places. Jack unfolded it slowly.

He cleared his throat and began to read.

"WANTED: Victor Frankenstein. For crimes against the people of his Majesty's realm. The crimes described herein are usual and heinous in their extremes. Victor Frankenstein…that's you….is wanted for desecration of graves, grave robbing, unnatural experimentation, unethical treatment of patients…all normal things people would expect of you, but these next few…these are my favorites….treason, sedition, betraying his own soldiers in a time of war, aiding the enemy, using biological warfare to kill innocent civilians, and the murder of the son of the king, as well as many other crimes too numerous to list. This man is an enemy of the realm and shall be put to death for his crimes. Signed King Abraham Van Helsing. The people of Storybrooke, they know you now…but if they had known you then…."

"Those crimes were fabricated. I didn't…"

"Doesn't really matter does it…." The paper flew from Jack's hands and breezed past Victor's head.

"I've stuck up dozens of them throughout the town. The royalty might try to deny it, but how can they? How will they calm the people when they have all seen what you are capable of? When now they know your story is much worse than they ever could have imagined. Van Helsing is the hero. I'm the hero for trying to stop you. You're the villain."

"Why…why are you so insistent on being the hero?"

"Because…no one wants to be on the losing side. And since the villains always lose, I've decided I have to be the hero. I always win. I always have and I always will."

Victor had to give it to Jack. He did have an impressive array of talents. The man, boy, demon, whatever he was, seemed almost unstoppable. Victor supposed that following that logic, Jack might very well be the hero of the story. Especially if he killed anyone who would be able to say otherwise.

"What did you do in my realm?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just a little fun. I met the King. He's the one who gave me these. Seemed very interested to know you were still alive. Very interested. He told me he would help me with my games…"

"Jack, whatever Van Helsing told you…"

"He's going to write stories about me. Entire novels! Maybe even a few songs in my honor. He said, once I dealt with you and I got bored of Storybrooke, that I could come back. That there were all types of monsters that I could destroy for him. I would be a Knight! I would be seen for the hero I truly was."

For not the first time, Victor truly regretted not killing Van Helsing when he had the chance. The man could manipulate any situation to his advantage. He had been able to figure out what Jack wanted within no time and had figured out how to use it. It was how the man had risen to power in the first place. How he was no doubt maintaining that power now.

"And what happens when you get bored of the games you play with Van Helsing? What happens when you get tired of following his orders?"

"He isn't going to order me. He isn't my King. He's just A King. They come and go so fast, I probably won't even notice when I've started talking to the next one. They all tend to look the same after awhile."

"I suppose that's true. So…I assume he told you to kill me."

"Nope! That's the best part, the funnest part. I'm not supposed to touch you at all. He said I should probably freeze you to keep you from interfering but not to kill you. He's going to have a big trial for you when I take you back. Everyone will see you for the monster and me for the hero. I'm going to get a medal. A title."

"So you freeze me, until you've gotten bored with Storybrooke and then you will take me back to my realm."

"Yea. Though, I'm thinking I might already be bored with Storybrooke. Nowhere near as fun as your realm. You lied when you said there weren't any good monsters there! I will fit right in with the heroes."

Victor thought about the "heroes" of his realm. Van Helsing was a genocidal maniac who killed more innocent people than any villain, Harker killed his own daughter because she fell in love with a "monster" he didn't approve of, the list went on and on. Victor looked at Jack. At the manic gleam in his eyes at the thought of being able to kill monsters. Yes, Jack would fit right in.

"So why bring me out here to the docks. You could have just grabbed me at the diner and taken us back from there. Or you could have waited until I was alone. Why the subterfuge."

"Because….I'm going to kill Archie and I wanted the last person he was seen with to be you. They will think you've gone mad again. They wouldn't dare try to follow after you again."

"Right."

"You're very calm about all this." Jack was looking closely at Victor, scrutinizing his every move.

"Sorry. It's been a rough month for me. I went insane and tried to kill everyone I care about, a frost demon started a personal vendetta against me, I was kidnapped back to my home realm, held hostage and then ran smack into an army controlled by my worst enemy, then I was pulled back here only to be confronted with yet another death threat. You'll forgive me, but I'm afraid I've rather gotten used to the constant state of despair that has plagued me as of late."

"Well that won't do. I know! I'll go get Elsa and then she can shove some more of those shards into your heart. That will make you perfect. I should have done that first."

Victor tried not to show how much that affected him. His heart had begun to race the moment Jack mentioned the shards. Focus. Remain calm. Almost there.

"I suppose that would make sense. But if you do that, won't they then be able to say it was the shards that caused my actions? You want them to think it was me, not magic, that killed people right?"

Jack seemed to be contemplating the idea.

"You're right. There can't be any doubt about what you are."

"Now that those posters are out, I doubt there will be."

"You are being very helpful doctor." Jack flew into Victors face. His eyes narrowed. "Too helpful. As helpful as you were in the Black Forest. You are hiding something and…"

Victor held up his hands.

"Alright, alright. You got me. I…I do have an ulterior motive."

"I knew it! I knew you were trying to trick me! What did you think you were going to do? You don't even have magic!"

"You're absolutely right. But they do."

Jack barely turned his head before he was being encompassed by several magical forces. White and black and purple magic swirled around him, snaking around his arms and legs. Holding him in place.

"What? How did…."

"I was just distracting you, so they could sneak up behind you."

"You can't trap me, I'm too strong for your pathetic little vase."

Emma stepped forward. Victor could see Elsa, Rumplestiltskin, the Blue Fairy, and Regina behind her. They moved slowly forward, forming a circle around Jack.

"First of all, it's an urn not a vase. And we've made a few improvements. Gold!"

Gold placed the urn a few feet from where Jack was held tight.

"You can't stop me. I will break free in…"

"A matter of hours? Yes, probably. But you see, a few hours is all we need. You see dearie, we have found a perfect little realm for you. I don't know its name because no one lives there anymore. Mainly because all the water dried up thousands of years ago. And the surface of the realm is so hot and dry…well let's just say you won't be able to create more than a single drop of water let alone any snow or ice."

"I will just…."

"Jump realms? Yes we thought of that too. You see this? It's a simple thing, looks like nothing more than a black leather cuff. But it is in reality powerful magic, that can neutralize the magic of any one who wears it. We figured between that and the desert realm, well we won't be hearing any more of you." Gold made a wave of his hand and the cuff was on Jack's wrist.

Victor would be glad to be rid of Jack. But even he found Gold's pleasure in sentencing Jack Frost to a realm without water, a little distasteful. It was one thing to beat your enemy. It was another to take joy in watching them suffer.

"You can't do this. You don't know what I am. What I can do!"

"Don't know, don't care." Emma motioned to the others. The magic surrounding Jack was almost blinding. Victor could see Jack's face as he was pulled into the urn. He saw no more bravado, no more glee. All he saw in Jack's eyes, was fear.

The urn closed with a small clank. It immediately began to freeze, the ice starting to spread to the ground. Gold stepped forward and picked it up.

"No you don't dearie. I will take this to our good friend Will Scarlet. Get rid of this nuisance once and for all."

"Gold wait…."

Gold disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Emma looked annoyed by the man's disappearance.

"I'm guessing that wasn't part of the plan."

"No. We were supposed to go with him, make sure he did what he said he was going to do."

"You think he would be foolish enough to try and keep some of Jack's power."

"I think Gold would pull the sun from the sky if he thought it would bring him more power."

"Is there something I should…"

"No…no it's probably nothing. Oh, and what the hell man." Emma punched Victor in the arm.

"Ow. What?"

"You walked off with him."

"He looked like Archie at the time. And I pushed my little panic button immediately."

Victor had been slightly insulted when David had first handed it to him. Mainly because it was one of those buttons old people wore for when they fell down and couldn't get up.

"I'm not an invalid."

"No, but in the last month you have been kidnapped and attacked more times than anyone in this town combined."

Victor had thought about arguing that last point. But thought bringing up the sheer number of times Henry had been in danger was most likely not the right play. David had barreled on.

"Plus, we know that Jack knows what cell phones are and you wouldn't likely be able to call us if he attacks you outright."

"Don't think this panic button will work if he sweeps me off to another realm."

"Just. Just wear it? Please."

"Not often that a Prince begs me for something…"

"Whale…"

"Alright, alright. I'll wear the ridiculous thing."

Victor chose not to admit that he had almost left it on his bedside table this morning. And that he technically wasn't wearing it, so much as he had stuffed it in his pocket at the last minute as he was leaving for work.

Details.

"Yea. Pretty sure you have to wear that thing from now on."

"What? Jack's gone and…."

The posters.

"…the posters." Victor put a hand to his face. "I can explain…most of it."

"Whale you don't…"

Regina walked over.

"I think he does. He shouldn't get off the hook that easy. I for one am curious as to what crimes 'so heinous and cruel' could possibly entail. What do you think doctor, you and I could compare notes over drinks."

Victor looked at Regina. Even being a genius it took a moment for his mind to process. She…she was joking with him. Victor cast a doubtful eye towards Emma.

"Is…is she messing with me?"

"I think she is. Look at you Regina. Making friends."

Regina rolled her eyes and brushed past the two of them. Victor could swear he heard her mutter "idiots" under her breath.

"So the posters…"

"Are like, 35 years old. No one is going to hold any of these supposed crimes against you. Everyone will see them for the bullshit they are."

"You ripped them all down before anyone could see them didn't you."

"You pushed your panic button and two seconds later David saw one on the side of hospital. Him, Killian, and Robin ran around town ripping them down. Ruby distracted everyone by raising the alarm that Jack was attacking. So all the townspeople were too busy running for their lives to pay any attention to some scraps of paper."

"Emma…thank you."

"Of course."

"There is…one thing though."

"Whatever you…."

"Can we not call it my 'panic button', I was hardly panicking. I thought I did quite well, I stayed completely calm." Victor was examining the small piece of plastic. "And why would I still need to wear it?"

"I don't know, just call us a little paranoid ok? Just wear it for a few more days…or weeks…you know until everything settles."

"You honestly believe Storybrooke will go a few weeks without any other major catastrophes? Oh Emma, I didn't think you could still be so naïve."

"Ok, watch it Doctor. Or I will tell Ruby you weren't wearing your panic button."

"I was so."

"So it wasn't stuffed in your pocket just now."

"It was…safer there."

"Mhmm"

"I had it one my person. That qualifies."

"We will see if she agree."

"Fine."

Victor looped the cord over his head. Emma gave him a smirk and continued walking towards the town.

Victor looked again at the small piece of plastic. At how odd it was. Such a small thing, and yet it kept Victor from being frozen. From having to watch Storybrooke be lost, from having to be brought before Van Helsing to be executed. Victor knew what his mind was doing. Focusing on the tangible object, the thing he could touch. It was easier to process than the intangible. The representation of the button. That all he had to do was push, and there would be a group of people willing to fight for him, follow after him, pull down wanted posters for him. Such things were so much harder to grasp, to hold on to.

"Whale. Hurry up. Granny said she was going to pull out all the stops."

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea. You coming?"

"Of course."

Victor let the button hang from his neck. Perhaps he could wear it for just a bit longer. Just to let the others have their peace of mind. A few more days, a week or so at most.

Just until everything was finally settled.

**Author's Note:**

> In regards to Chapter 10, this is a shortened version of how it was supposed to go. Emma's section was going to be a lot longer and there was actually going to be a sequel (which is why I introduced Dracula in the first place) but I doubt that will ever happen. I just have lost interest in Once Upon a Time. I left some stuff in that allude to the sequel in case I ever get around to it, but I wouldn't hold out too much hope. Sorry if it feels like the ending is a bit rushed, it was either this or I left the story unfinished forever. You can decide which would have been better.


End file.
